


Only Human

by RecordKeeper13



Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: F/M, Post skin games, Romance, Sexytimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-15 07:37:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5777143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RecordKeeper13/pseuds/RecordKeeper13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry meets Lara for a peace treaty but ends up giving Lara a new look at the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work I've ever released. More to come. Please leave feedback and critique.

Suits are annoying, especially when you’re on the high side of six feet tall.

“Half the time I wonder if humanity could have survived as long as we did if we never invented these damn monkey suits.” I said out loud to nobody in particular. I glanced over from the mirror to my massive dog Mouse, lounging behind me on the floor by the foot of my bed. He lifted his head as I looked at him and barked, wagging is tail in approval.

“Yea you’re right, stop my bitching and deal with it. It’s just one night I have to deal with it. Besides, you got to look good when you go to a peace treaty meeting.” Mouse barked again. “It’s not a date” I responded. After finally getting the tie as straight as I could I turned to face Mouse with my arms spread out. “How do I look?” The suit was a simple two piece suit that Mab had gifted me once I told her about my plans for the night. Thinking back she did smile unusually wide when I told her who I was meeting. I shook my head and smoothed my arm over the sleeve, making sure I was lint free. The suit itself was a deep dark blue, it actually looked black until some light hit it just the right way. I could live forever and not realize how the Sidhe make their clothes change colors like that. The undershirt was a snow white, compared to the jacket it was almost blinding if you stared at it too long. I smoothed over the matching slacks and Mouse gave me an approving bark and a lopsided grin.

“Thanks big guy.” I chuckled as I fixed the blue opal cufflinks that went with the whole outfit. I fixed the last details of the suit and kneeled down to pet Mouse. I ruffled his big floppy ears and smiled at him. “I can always use you for fashion advice.” I scratched his chin and his tail thumped against the bed. I laughed again before finally getting up and heading into the living room. Molly was waiting in the connecting kitchen, leaning against the counter and fixing herself a cup of coffee when I walked in. I fixed my tie again before I cleared my throat to get her attention. “How do I look?”

“Damn boss.” She whistled as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “You make me wish I was a vampire. Pretty sure Lara is going to try and take a bite out of you.” Molly grinned as she eyed me.

Did I forget to mention that? I was getting all fancied up because I had a meeting with the head of the White Court of vampires, Lara Raith.

“But your tie tying skills suck.” She smirked as she walked through the living room to me. Her smirk turned to a genuine smile as she reached up to fix my tie. “Like, really bad.” A giggle escaped her lips as she undid my tie and started to fix it. I rolled my eyes and smiled at her as I let her fix it. We had been living together for awhile now and the line between student and teacher or boss and employee in some cases had started to fade. Now we were just two adults that felt comfortable around each other. Comfortable enough to comment on each others tie tying skills apparently.

“Sure they do grasshopper.” I smirked as she tightened the tie. She glanced up at me and jerked the tie tighter. “Ack!” I coughed as she cut my windpipe for a second. A laugh escaped as she stepped back and looked me up and down.

“You look good Harry, you should dress up more often.” She smiled her infectious smile. I shook my head and fidgeted with my cuff links again, trying to calm the nervous feeling in my stomach.

“But if I dress like this all the time then it special anymore.” I wiggled my eyebrows and smiled. “Also your brain might explode being exposed to all this handsome for extended periods of time.” She barked out a quick laugh but quickly covered her mouth. I glared at her playfully, drawing more quieted giggles out of her.

“Oh yes, I can already feel my body getting hotter.” She waved a hand at her face and tugged at the collar of her shirt. “I can’t take it Harry, take me now.” She laughed and walked back to her coffee. I shook my head and sighed as I walked over to the coat rack to get my duster. “So what’s your plans for your date tonight?” She asked as she sipped her coffee. My attention snapped up to her and I gave her my best Clint Eastwood look I could.

“It’s not a date Molls, it’s a peace meeting. But the plan is to pick her up and go to that big fancy restaurant that spins at the top of the skyscraper. What’s that place called?” I snapped my fingers trying to think of it.

“The sundial?” Molly asked, sipping her coffee.

“That’s it. Yea, plan is to take her there, have a nice dinner, discuss a treaty between her and the Winter Court and head home.” I shrugged. “Nothing to it.”

“Hmm that’s a fancy place Harry, since when do you have money?” Molly asked, coming around to sit on one of the couches by the fireplace.

“Don’t worry about it, just know I didn’t rob a bank to do it.” I smirked to myself as I slid on my duster. The funny thing was, that's exactly where half of my money came from, but Molly didn't need to know that.

“Ah okay.” She made a circle with her thumb and index finger and winked at me. “No questions asked boss. So do you have protection?” She asked, hiding a grin behind her cup.

“Molly it’s a peace conference, hopefully I won’t need it. But, just in case, I have my shield bracelet and one of my kinetic rings fully charged and ready to go.” I explained, holding up my right hand with the bracelet and ring on it. Molly arched an eyebrow and stared at me.

“Harry, you’re going to a high class restaurant with a near immortal, drop dead gorgeous, sex craving vampire. Do. You. Have. Protection.” She asked again, emphasizing each word. It took a second for my mind to understand but it clicked and I felt my face go red.

“Molly!” I said a bit louder than I should have. “It’s just dinner! Nothing like that is going to happen!” I fumed, tugging at my collar like an embarrassed teenager. She laughed and put her cup on the coffee table in front of her.

“You never know, she might try and give you a great big thank you for the fancy dinner.” Molly grinned, leaning forward and not even trying to hide her amusement. I scoffed and dismissed her with a wave of my hand.

“I’ve got that covered too Molly don’t worry. Super sexy scary vampire lady isn’t going to suck the life out of me.” I said, checking my pockets to make sure the extra tools I needed were still in the pocket. Relief washed over me when I felt them in the inside pocket of my duster.

“Oh it’s not your LIFE I’m worried about her sucking out of you.” Molly laughed, falling off of the couch. Her laughing stopped for a second but continued with the same vigor as before. I blushed a bit and scoffed as I grabbed my key off the hook.

“Oh shut up.” I growled as I opened the door. “Don’t wait up for me, I’m not sure how long dinner is going to go on for.” I said over my shoulder as I left.

I heard her laughing harder before I closed the door. Sighing as thought about what I had just said. Great, now my student/roommate thinks I'm going to score with a vampire. Fun way to start the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Chicago Traffic sucks. It just sucks. It took me an extra thirty minutes to get across town and finally arrive at the Raith…castle for lack of a better term. I tipped the cabbie a few extra bucks before making my way to the front door. After becoming the Winter Knight, Mab suddenly decided to pay me in actual human money so I can enjoy myself when I’m off the clock. It took a lot of doing but I managed to convince her to give a normal paycheck instead of paying me in sexy sidhe women. Don’t get me wrong it was an enjoyable sight but it’s not exactly the kind of thing I’m into. The first time she handed me the check I nearly fell on my ass. I had only heard of the amount she casually gave me in fairy tales and myths.

Finally I wasn’t poor.

Which is why I offered to take Lara to dinner to discuss some sort of peace conference between the White Court and the Winter Court. Admittedly things were on good terms between the two but I wanted to make sure that if either side needed each other we would be there. Plus it’s always a plus to get to take a beautiful woman to dinner once in a while. I finally made my way to the massive double doors and rapped my knuckles on the door. It took me a second to realize that the house was so damn big they probably wouldn’t hear someone actually knocking on the door. Just as my hand reached for the doorbell the door flew open.

To my surprise, Thomas answered the door instead of the normal staff. He was dressed in his normal tight shirt and skinny jeans munching on a slice of pizza. Thomas was a member of the White Court of vampires, meaning he was gifted with supernaturally good looks no matter what he did. I’ve seen him get hammered by ghouls and ghostys and still be able to take first in a beauty competition. He was also my half-brother on my mother’s side and the last time I heard he wasn’t exactly on speaking terms with the rest of his family so seeing him here was a shock. He glanced me up and down and grinned.

“Damn Dresden you clean up good.” His smirked widened as he wiped some pizza sauce off of his chin. Damn I wish I could still look good eating pizza. Jerk. “Got a hot date tonight?”

“You know why I’m here ass. Is Lara ready?” I asked with a sigh. He chuckled as stepped aside and waved me in. I stepped in and looked around the massive entry way.

“Yea she’s ready.” He took another bite as he checked a watch that had to have cost more than my old apartment. You know, before it exploded into a million pieces. “You’re late by the way.” Thomas mumbled, taking another bite of pizza.

“Blame Chicago traffic.” I checked my cheap watch and glanced up at him. “Besides we’ve still got awhile before our reservations.” I looked around again at the decor before turning back to Thomas.

“Yea but you’re supposed to arrive even earlier to meet the date’s family.” Thomas snickered as he finished off his slice. I scowled at him a bit.

“That reminds me, what are you doing here?” I asked as he closed the doors behind me.

“Oh umm…well…” Thomas said softly, coming to stand beside me and look up the stairs. “In the spirit of your peace dinner date, Lara invited me over to try and smooth things out between us. Also…” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “She kind of, asked me over to help her with her hair.” Thomas mumbled, the blush on his face slowly growing darker.

I let out a bark of laughter before quickly covering my face with my hand. I couldn’t help it, I quietly laughed into my hand. He glared at me and I could see him fighting the urge to strangle me. I finally managed to calm down for a bit but laughed a bit harder when I saw his face was nearly tomato red. A minute passed and I finally managed to calm down before my sides started hurting.

“Guess she found out about your job huh? Couldn’t keep frou-frou Toe-mas hidden for long could ya?” I devolved into another fit of giggles like a school kid hearing the word penis on the playground.

Who says I can’t be adult about things?

Thomas growled softly before slugging me in the shoulder. If I hadn’t been expecting his super human strength he might have knocked me off my feet and a few feet away. That’s the thing about these white court vampires, they’re super strong and fast when they want to be, easily outrunning or out fighting any vanilla mortal on the planet easily. They also recharge their power by feeding off of people emotions and feelings. This particular group of psychic vampires enjoy feeding off of people’s lust, usually while sexing it up.

And im taking their boss on a date.

Wait, not a date.

Shit.

Thomas grinned as I rubbed my shoulder, more for show than actual pain but I gave him my best glare all the same.

“Would you just hurry up and call Lara down?” I asked as I fixed my collar.

“Sure.” Thomas nodded as he walked past me. He put a foot on the first step before stopping and looking at me. “Actually there’s something I need to ask you. “ He walked back over to me and draped his arm across my shoulders, pulling me down so only I could hear what he was about to say. “Harry I just wanted to make sure, but…” He paused to look around, making sure nobody was listening before leaning even loser. “You do have protection right?” He whispered. I could actually feel him grinning before I pushed him away.

“Dammit Thomas not you too!” I shouted, more annoyed than angry. Hard to imagine that both my brother and apprentice thought that my end game was to score tonight. They should both know I don’t like the whole casual sex one night stand kind of thing.

“Damn, no need to shout in my ear. I just wanted to make sure my brother was covered just in case she jumps you tonight.” He grinned, using air quotes on the word covered.

“Just go get Lara.” I sighed, playing with my cufflinks again, trying to calm the red color on my cheeks.

“Alright Mr. Grump, just making sure that you’re prepared.” Thomas grinned as he started up the stairs again.

“Oh I’m prepared. Hopefully everything goes exactly as planned tonight.” I grinned, reaching into my pocket to make sure it was still in my pocket. Thomas stopped halfway up the stairs and stared at me, pure horror on his face.

“Harry…you’re not planning on giving me a niece or nephew are you?” Thomas asked quietly, his look of horror slowly being replaced with a grin.

“Forzare!” I shouted, sending a small blast of will at him. The blast struck a small fist sized hole in the wall just to the right of his head. “Go. Get. Lara.” I growled. Thomas laughed and headed up the rest of the stairs, trying to avoid another blast. I leaned against the door and grumbled something about being surrounded by sex fiends.

Thomas came down a few minutes later, still smirking. He walked back over to me and leaned against the door beside me. “You’re in for a treat tonight Harry. Where are you taking her anyway?” Thomas asked.

“I was thinking of taking her to Mac’s pub. Nice quiet place, have a few beers, maybe a steak sandwich and go over this peace treaty deal.” I answered, turning my attention away from the stairs to talk to Thomas.

“What? You can’t be serious.” Thomas asked angrily, turning to face me.

“Of course im not serious you idiot.” I grinned jokingly. “I’m taking her to that real fancy smanchy place with the rotating restaurant on the top floor.” I explained.

“The Sundial?” Thomas asked.

“That’s the one.” I nodded.

“Very nice.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way I went ahead and told the limo driver to pull around front.”

“Thanks.”

“Welcome.”

“What about the limo?” A woman’s voice asked from atop the stairs. Thomas and I whipped our heads around to face the top of the stairs and I froze.

Now when I say Lara is beautiful, it’s the same thing as saying the sky is blue, Chicago winters are cold, and Thomas is an ass. Lara made Greek goddesses look like the ugly old hags you see at the start of nearly every Disney movie.

Lara came down the stairs, and I couldn’t figure out what to look at. She was dressed in a beautiful snow white evening gown with a neckline that plunged down her front, stopping just above her navel, making it very hard to keep my eyes in appropriate places. A white shawl draped around her shoulders, covering her arms. A golden necklace hung around her neck, nearly glowing in contrast to her snow white dress and creamy skin. Thomas did a real good job on her hair, it was straightened as usual but he had somehow threaded it with lines of silver, making it look like she had stars shining in the midnight black of her hair. She got halfway down and smiled at me, making my heart beat in overdrive. Damn these court vampires and their sexy voodoo magic. Thomas elbowed me in the ribs gently and whispered.

“Say something stupid.”

“Oh! Um…wow.” I said, still a little stunned.

Thomas groaned and covered his face. Lara laughed and smiled again.

Smooth Harry, real smooth, regular ladies’ man. I cleared my throat and tried not embarrass myself any further. “You look absolutely stunning tonight.” I said softly, offering my hand as she reached the bottom step. She gave me her hand and I kissed the air above it.

Even with all the blood rushing to another head, I still know better than to kiss any part of a White Court vampire directly. I’ve seen and felt what a single kiss can do to someone.

“Oh my, Thomas where did you find THIS Dresden?” Lara asked, smiling softly and glancing at Thomas. “He is so much more well-mannered that our Dresden.” Lara chuckled as she withdrew her hand. Thomas crossed his arms and chuckled too. I rolled my eyes as I stood back up and pulled a slam plastic box out of my duster pocket.

“This is for you.” I smiled as I offered her a white corset. “I had a feeling you would be wearing white tonight.” A grin spread across my face as I took the flower out of its box.

“Wow Harry, pulling out all the prom night tricks from tonight aren’t ya?” Thomas chuckled. I gave him a soft elbow in the ribs as I smiled at Lara.

“Oh hush Thomas. I think it’s lovely.” Lara responded to my smile and held her hand up. I nodded in silent thanks and slid the flower onto her delicate wrist. She smile again at the flower and looked at me.

“You really do look stunning.” I repeated.

“Thank you Harry.” She smiled an innocent smile at me. No tiny hint at the cold predator that usually hides behind those pearly whites. “So where are you taking me tonight?” She asked innocently.

“I figured we could enjoy a nice dinner at the Sundial. You know the place right?” I asked, again focusing on her nose so my eyes wouldn’t get me in trouble. Even though I’m sure that she actually wanted attention like that.

“Oh yes, I am quite familiar with the place. Quite a fancy place for a peaceful meeting isn’t it?” Lara asked with a coy little smile. I shrugged and smiled.

“I figured I could splurge on a pretty woman tonight. Don’t get used it though, I can’t do this too often, I’m poor.” I gave her a playful wink and she laughed softly.

“You never cease to entertain me Dresden.” She smiled again, making her beautiful grey eyes shine and the periwinkle start gimmer. “I believe we should get going if we wish to make our reservations.” I nodded in agreement and offered her my right arm.

“Especially in this horrible traffic.” I nodded in agreement and offered her my right arm.

“Oh my, such a gentleman.” She teased as she slipped her arm through mine. We turned to leave and Thomas clapped his arm on my shoulder.

“Have fun tonight you two.” He grinned, quickly sneaking his hand into my pocket. I glared at him as he opened the door for us.

“Oh don’t worry brother of mine, we will.” Lara smiled to me as we left. I waited until I heard the door shut behind us before reaching into my pocket. My eyes widened and my face turned red as I felt the condom in my pocket. “Something wrong?” Lara asked as we got to the limo.

“No nothing at all.” I smiled as she got in.

I swear when I get back I’m going to beat his ass.


	3. Chapter 3

We were stuck in the same spot for almost twenty minutes. If I hadn’t had the foresight to make out reservations later we never would have made it. Did I mention I hate big city traffic? All the noise from the horns honking to people swearing, to car doors slamming when people want to get out of their cars to see what’s taking so long, only to have cars move in inch at a time. Thankfully Lara and I had been talking the entire time, somewhat ignoring the city sounds outside of the limo. Thankfully she had decided to sit on the seat attached to mine instead of sitting beside me. As we talked I found out that Lara and I had a whole lot in common.

“Oh come on you can NOT believe that the movies are better than the books.” I protested. She simply shrugged at me.

“There are simply too many books to read. The movies take the most important parts and condenses them down to exactly what you need to know in six well made movies.” She paused for a second, staring upwards at nothing as she though. “Well six well-made movies and three good movies.” Lara smiled.

“At least we can agree on that.” I grinned. “But the books just explain so much more. Like who exactly is General Grevious, where did Darth Maul come from and everything like that. Gah! How dare you call yourself a nerd.” I threw my hands up in mock surrender, all while smiling at her. She gave me her usually blank look and raised an eyebrow at me.

“I don’t remember ever addressing myself as a nerd. As I recall I simply said I enjoyed several books, movies, and TV shows that you also enjoy. So if I am a nerd as you claim I am then that means you are one as well” She smirked a smug smirk that made her eyes twinkle mischievously.

“Exactly, I call myself a nerd so by extension you’re a nerd too.” I grinned, jabbing a finger at her. “Well at least we're both marvel people." I smirked a bit. You nerd.” I said playfully.

“Dork.” Lara quipped, still smiling.

“Geek.”

“Dweeb.”

“Trekkie.”

“Goober.”

“Did you just call me a goober?”

“Yes I did.” She smiled her perfect super model smile, the one that makes her eyes sparkle and my heart beat a few beats quicker. It’s moments like these that make you forget that she’s a psychic vampire that feeds off of people.

“Oh! That reminds me!” I jumped up, suddenly remembering I had something for her. She stared at me for a second, one leg crossed over the other and her lips pursed in confusion. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small blue box. I smiled a bit as I held it out to her. Her eyes widened a bit as she stared at the box then to me.

“Oh Dresden, that’s sweet but I’m not the marrying type.” She smiled affectionately at me.

“What?” I asked as it hit me. “Oh! Oh no, I’m not, this isn’t, it’s.” I stopped and looked out the window, suddenly finding the SUV driving next to us very interesting as I tried to hide my embarrassment. At least it looked like traffic was moving again. “It’s not a proposal, it’s something for you. Yes it’s a ring but…ugh just…here.” I opened the box for her.

Inside was a simple silver ring, at first glance it looked like your average simple wedding band but if you looked close enough you could see tiny intricate lines running all along the band. Lara gently took the ring, eyeing the lines that ran along the outside and inside like a child looking at a new toy. I couldn’t help myself and I started smiling as I watched her.

“Oh it’s lovely. It’s a beautiful piece of work. But if it’s not a proposal, then what is the ring for?” Lara asked, turning her attention from the ring to me.

“It’s something I worked on for months while I crashed in Arctis Tor. Basically it works like thorn manacles that some use to weaken wizards. It seals the power of your inner demon, cutting you off from their powers and the drawbacks that come with it. Basically it turns your kind human.” I explained, leaning forward in the seat. Lara’s eyes narrowed as she looked from me to the ring, staring it like I had just handed her a live nuke. She turned her attention to me, glaring at me as I mentioned the turning human part.

“And why, pray tell, would I or any of my kind wish to do that?” She asked coldly.

“To give love a try.” I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She froze for a second, her face turning to the stone mask it always does when she thinks. She stared at me for a good long minute, cars passing us as we headed down the highway. I could feel the seconds tick by as I watched her stare at me.

“Ah, I see.” She said quietly, her face softening as she turned back to the ring. “This is for Thomas and Justine isn’t it?” She asked, her eyes settling heavily on the small box in her hands.

“Well that was the initial idea, but as it started working better and better I started thinking of the good you could do for those who want to enjoy living like a human for a bit. I can imagine that Thomas isn’t the only case of one of your kind falling in love. Just imagine the loyalty you could get if you told them that they could fall in love?” I explained.

“I suppose it could work. I guess I didn’t look at it that way. I only thought of it taking away our powers.” She looked up to me and smiled. “But I wonder if I should feel honored or worried that you asked me to test it.” A mischievous smile spread across her lips. I grinned back and rubbed at the back of my neck.

“Well I tested it as much as I can. At least I know that it won’t blow up or blow your finger off.” I admitted. She eyed me suspiciously before sighing.

“Ok, if you are sure that it will work. I will test it out on good faith.” Lara nodded as she pulled the ring out of the box. She took a deep breath and stared at the ring again. “Here goes nothing.” She whispered as she slid the ring onto her left ring finger. A moment passed and nothing happened.

“Unfortunately it seems that this is a fai-“ Lara started before the ring erupted with blinding white light. Both of us yelled in surprise and turned away, covering our eyes as the light filled the back. A few moments passed before the light slowly faded. I turned around slowly, blinking the spots out of my eyes when I saw Lara. My jaw dropped and I stared at the new woman that sat before me.

“It worked.” I mumbled.

Lara still looked the same physically but anybody that knew what she was could tell that there was a difference. Her long black hair was the same, but without her vampire aura drawing me in it was just beautifully maintained hair. Her skin was still just as flawless and perfect as before but it had lost that supernatural glow that made someone want to tear her dress off. But the biggest change you could see was her eyes. Before you could feel the inner demon they called the Hunger pulling you into her eyes, making peoples’ mouths water and their hands shake. But now they were just a beautiful shade of grey with tiny periwinkle stars that twinkled when she smiled. You could still feel yourself getting pulled in but now it was their own beauty doing it, not something that wanted to eat you. However now they were just filled with surprise.

“How do you feel?” I asked softly, watching her open a mirror and examine her face. After a second she pulled her attention from the mirror and stared at me.

“I feel…human.” Lara said softly. She turned her attention back to the mirror and continued to examine herself.

“Do you feel the Hunger inside you?” I asked cautiously.

“Yes.” She nodded and put the mirror away, focusing on me. “But it feels like a very distant thing. Like a thought in the back of your mind that’s just about to disappear. I know it’s still there but it feels alien to me right now.” She admitted, placing her hands in her lap. I looked at her and smiled softly.

“So you don’t feel the need to jump me, pin me down, and suck my soul out through my penis?” I grinned at her and she smiled playfully at me.

“Well I still do but I don’t believe it would kill you now.” She winked at me and I could feel my face flush. A chuckle escaped her lovely lips as she focused more on me, her smile slowly changing. “Now I would like to perform an experiment of my own. If you don’t mind. I want to make sure this ring works perfectly.” She said, leaning forward in her seat, giving me a wonderful view of her cleavage.

“Umm sure, what is it?” I asked half a second before I felt her lips press against mine. Damn, even with the supernatural sex demon sealed away Lara was still a dynamite kisser. My mind started to haze over but I felt her hands cup my cheeks as she purred against my lips. An eternity passed before the drivers’ voice came over the speaker system.

“Miss. Raith, Mr. Dresden, we have arrived at our destination.” The speaker cracked. Lara slowly pulled away, biting my bottom lip gently as she did. At some point she had slid into my lap and straddled me, one hand had found its way to my hair. A smile formed across her face as she gently caressed my cheek.

“Mmmmm oh yes, this is going to be a quite enjoyable evening.” Lara whispered as she slid off of my lap. The door opened and she climbed out with the help of the driver. I sat there for a minute, trying to calm down before walking out.

“Yea. Tons of fun.” I croaked as a shiver ran down my spine. I managed to relax my body enough to prevent unwanted stares before I climbed out of the limo.

Yea so much fun, now that the super attractive sex vampire was just a normal super attractive sexy human. 

Super.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara and Harry share a very emotional dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first shot at a touching and emotional scene. Please leave any sort of feedback to your thoughts on this chapter.

We finally made it to the skyscraper where the restaurant was almost an hour after we had left Chateau Raith. Apparently people lose the ability to tell which light means go and which one means stop in the big city. I swear I’ve never been anywhere else that had traffic this bad. You just have to love this big city bumper to bumper traffic. But we were finally here and I was going to put my hatred of motor vehicles behind me for the night and enjoy myself. I smiled and offered my arm to Lara again once I climbed out of the limo. She smiled as she took my arm and we headed inside. The lobby was pretty full of people, the kind of people that can blow thousands of dollars every night at a high class like this one for a couple of night and not worry about going bankrupt.

I could feel some of the people turning to stare at Lara, I’m pretty sure there isn’t anyone who would argue that Lara is a knockout even without the vampire aura drawing people in. Granted a few of those looks might have been jealousy at me but hey, I wasn’t complaining. I had a lovely woman on my arm for the first time in a while and I wasn’t going to let anyone get me down. I smiled at some people I knew were staring at me as we walked across the hotel lobby. Gotta take moments like these with a smile and let people fume.

“This feels odd. Knowing that these people are staring at me without the Hunger drawing their gazes and I don’t feel the need to look and pick out my next meal. It feels-”

“Human?” I interjected.

“-enlightening. Like I’m looking down the fork from the opposite angle.” Lara finished. I chuckled just as we made it to the elevator. She knitted her eyebrows then looked up from the elevator doors to me. “Wait for a minute.”

“Hmm?” I asked, hitting the button before glancing down at her.

“It just occurred to me but we’re about to get on an elevator, to go to the top floor of a state of the art skyscraper, to enjoy dinner at a restaurant that slowly spins with the help of several hundred gears and quite a few computer systems.” Lara pointed out.

“That’s the plan.” I smiled to myself, knowing where she was going with the conversation.

“But you are a very capable wizard. How do you expect to even get there without breaking every piece of complex machinery around you?” She asked as the elevator dinged. The doors opened up and several of the hotels guest started filing out into the lobby. I grinned to myself once everyone cleared out and we stepped into the relative privacy of the elevator.

“Well do you remember when I said that the ring worked like thorn manacles?” She gave me a slight nod as the elevator doors closed. I could feel her tense up once the elevator jerked and started rising. “Well while I was working on your ring I also came up with a pair of manacles that grounds out more magical energies than normal and hurts a hell of a lot less.” I tugged up my pant leg and showed her the handcuffs that were wrapped around my left ankle. “Granted they’re still handcuffs but it’s a start.” Lara gave an impressed nodded and glanced up from my ankle to my face as I shook my pants leg back to normal.

“Very impressive Dresden. It seems that with the right tools and access to the right materials, you can create very interesting tools. I can only imagine what you would do with limitless resources.” Lara said as she smiled playfully at me.

“Thank you. You wouldn’t believe the time I have to kill between jobs for Mab and the things she has hidden around.” I smiled wide, a slight blush on my face from the praise.

“I can only imagine.” She glanced down at my ankle again before grinning her wolfish smile at me. “Maybe we could find another use for those handcuffs later.” She gave me a teasing wink and a smile to match. My blush went into overdrive at her teasing. A giggled filled the quiet air of the elevator as she squeezed my arm, letting me feel every bit of her chest. “Oh it’s so much fun to tease you Dresden.” Lara grinned wider just as the elevator dinged at the top floor. The doors slowly opened and my senses were instantly overloaded with everything from the restaurant.

The first thing my brain managed to comprehend was the music. A soft relaxing ballad from some classical artist my uncultured brain didn’t know drifted into the elevator. I could feel my body relax instantly as we walked out of the elevator. Smell was the next thing I worked out from the intricate weave of wonderful senses. The kitchen itself was in the center of the floor wide restaurant, filling the entire space with the delicious smells of the wonderful food they were cooking. You could smell everything they used to cook with from the high end cooking oils to the freshly picked herbs and spices and even the grade a beef they cooked with. It took every ounce of willpower I had to keep my mouth from watering. We took a few more steps out of the elevator and were bathed in the light of the setting sun. We stood there for a minute, simply admiring the sight from the top of the world.

“Wow, this is just…” Lara paused, trying to find the right word.

“Beautiful?” I asked, never taking my eyes off the sight. As much as I hate the traffic here, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Chicago is a beautiful city and it’s my city. Especially the way the light reflects off of the city at sunset.

“Magical.” Lara whispers, looking up at me with that beautiful smile she loves to toss my way, the one that makes her eyes sparkle. I chuckled softly as we walked to the waiter at the front.

“Well I do know a thing or two about magic.” I winked at her before turning to the waiter. “Table for two, should be under the name Dresden.”

“Ah very good sir.” The waiter looked over his list and tapped on the paper once he found my name. “Ah here you are mister Dresden, if you would please follow me.” He grabbed two menus and lead us past the bar and kitchen. We walked down a short flight of stairs to the dining areas, the actual part of the restaurant that rotated around the rest of the building. He led us to your table right beside the window and placed the menus down. I nodded my thanks as I pulled Lara’s chair out. Hey, who says chivalry is dead? She smiled at me before taking her seat and I took mine. The garcon came around and took our drink orders a few minutes later. And no I didn’t look up that word just in case I had to use it tonight.

“So tell me about yourself Dresden. What makes a nearly unkillable wizard tic?” Lara asked, closing her menu and resting her chin on her folded hands. I looked up at her questionably before giving the menu one more look before I closed mine as well.

“Why would you want to know about boring ole me?” I asked, placing one hand over the other on the menu and looking at her.

“Because my dear wizard, if you and I are to spend any extended amount of time together then I would like to know at least a little bit about the man I will be working with. What exactly made Harry Dresden into Harry Dresden? And please don’t tell me that you fell into a vat of toxic waste and became super wizard.” She smiled at her joke and rested her hands on the table. I chuckled a bit before I turned my attention to the Chicago skyline.

“My life isn’t much. I’m sure that you’ve seen and done much more than I have.” I mumbled softly as my smile slowly disappeared. Lara saw the change in my facial expression and her smile softened as well.

“A man’s worth isn’t measured in miles he has traveled or the places he’s seen. It’s measured by the actions he has done in those places. Trust me, I have been many, many places and have meet hundreds of people that didn’t have a fraction of your bravery and worth.” She smiled a soft smile as she took one of my hands in hers. I glanced at her briefly before looking up at her face.

“Ok.” I sighed softly before I started telling her my life story. I told her about the short time I spent with my father before being orphaned at a young age. I told her about me being bounced around from orphanage to orphanage before finally being adopted by Justin DuMonroe. I told her about my brief happiness as he taught me and my first love, Elaine Mallory, magic before everything went south. I told her about how Justin tried to brainwash Elaine and I until I tried to stop him and he sent He Who Walks Behind to finish me off. I told her about defeating the outsider and killing Justin and being under the Doom of Damocles until my new mentor, Ebenezer McCoy, stood up for me and took me under his wing. I told her about my days being trained under him on his ranch until I went off on my own. I laughed a bit as I told her about my days as a detective trainee, doing on jobs cases. My heart dropped as I told her about meeting Murphy for the first time after a case involving a little girl and a troll. I told her about the first few cases I had, some of the people I’ve met, the villains I fought, and even about the people I couldn’t save.

Each story I told made her expression change. She frowned when I told her about my fathers’ death and my days in the orphanages. Her frown turned to a soft smile as I explained my happy times with Justin and Elaine. A brief flash of surprise spread across her face as I told her about my battle with the Outsider and my fight with Justin. But that flash of surprise changed to disgust when I mentioned my old mentor, secret grandfather, and the black staff of the white council, the de facto hand of judgement when they need to break one of the laws of magic. The look of disgust changed to an honest smile when I told her about my days as a trainee, growing more and more as I went over each story. Compassion replaced her smile once I mentioned Karen and she gently caressed my hand. I even her face turned sorrowful at the mention of all the innocent lives that were lost because of me. She looked from my hands and stared into my eyes briefly before I turned away, pretty sure a soul gaze while walking down memory lane was the last thing I needed right now. By the time I had finished the sun had set and the skyline was dotted with the twinkling stars of the city lights.

“I have lived for centuries. I have seen men rise into power then lose it all to the tides of time. I’ve seen wars and strife that have taken many lives. But I have never seen a man quite like you Harry Dresden. You are quite possibly the strongest man I know, being able to carry a cross that big, to be able to take all that pain and sorrow, and still be able to laugh like your life hasn’t been followed by darkness from its very beginning. That is a strength that I have never heard about.” She placed her other hand on mine and stared at me, tears started forming at the edges of her eyes. “You’ve seen so much, been through such horrors, that it would have broken a lesser man years ago.” She held my hand to her cheek and caressed my palm gently. I watched as a single tear ran down her cheek, staining my hand. The sentiment actually surprised me. Her reaction seemed genuinely…

Human.

I stared at her tear for a second before a soft smile spread across my face. I cupped her cheek and gently ran my thumb along her skin, wiping the tear away.

“It’s all part of being human Lara. Besides I’m not complaining if all that hadn’t happened I would have never got to meet people like Thomas, Molly, Michael, and even you.” My smile widened as I gently caressed her cheek with my thumb again. She returned my smile and turned her head, placing a brief kiss on my palm before moving my hand back to the table.

“Well I am very glad I got to meet you too Harry Dresden, I just wished you didn’t have to go through so much sorrow.” Her smile widened as she pat the back of my hand. “Thank you for sharing with me, I hope that this makes us more that associates now.” She grinned just as the garcon came with the food. I forgot that at some point during my story we had ordered our food. I laughed and shook my head gently.

“Lara as far as I’m concerned, you are a more than welcome friend.” I smiled as I took the napkin and placed it in my lap. “Now let’s eat.”

Dinner passed by peacefully after the food arrived. We ate quietly then progressed back into comfortable conversation, telling each other stories about people we knew. At some point we had ordered a bottle of wine and had made it about half way though the bottle.

“No I’m serious, when Thomas was two he ran through the mansion completely naked, showing himself to the staff.” Lara laughed an honest belly laugh as she tried to sip her wine. I coughed as I tried not to spit my wine all over Lara. I managed to choke down my wine and not dye her dress a lovely shade of backwash wine.

“Oh stars and stones, I can’t wait to hang that over his head.” I laughed, trying to choke down the rest of my drink.

“It was hilarious.” Lara giggled as she took another sip of wine. “Were you serious that Molly expected you to sleep with her when she was younger?” A mischievous smile spread across her lips. I winced and stretched my jaw unconsciously, thinking back to when Charity slugged me in the jaw after finding us in that hotel room.

“Yea.” I reached up and rubbed my jaw, trying to rub away the phantom pain. “She had just had some bad experience messing with her friends’ minds and some troubled time with a monster at Splatter Con. Wasn’t a fun experience for anyone.”

“Well it’s a funny story from someone else’s point of view.” Lara smiled as she placed her now empty glass on the table. She turned toward the window and watches as the city slowly turned around us. “I haven’t done something like this in a very long time.” Lara said quietly. I finished off my glass and watched her gaze.

“What do you mean?” I asked, pouring us both another glass. She turned her attention back to me, smiling as she took her glass.

“Thank you.” She sipped her wine. “And I mean that I it’s been some time since I have been on a date like this. Especially with someone as entertaining as you.” Her eyes twinkled at the compliment.

“It’s not a date.” I mumbled. Her eyes sparkled more as she set her glass down.

“Oh? Then what is it if I may ask? If this is a peace treaty then we have done little when it comes to discussing peace.” She spread her hands and smiled her perfect little smile that did things to my self-control.

“Well…it’s, um. Fine it’s a date.” I sighed, tossing my hand up in mock surrender but smiling from ear to ear.

“Is it that bad to admit that you took me on a date?” Lara asked, folding her arms under her chest and leaning forward against the table. The action made her breast come out more and instantly drawing my attention.

“Umm, it’s not a bad thing but, umm I just didn’t want to give people the wrong idea.” I stuttered. Damn it brain you’ve seen breasts before, stop melting down just because you can see hers! She grinned as she leaned a bit more forward, pushing her chest out more.

“And what idea might that be?” She grinned wider as I quickly found her forehead very interesting.

“Umm I don’t exactly know.” I said, trying to focus on something besides her breasts.

“Oh it is so much fun to tease you.” She giggled. I had heard her giggle quietly before but in this moment it was happier, much more innocent.

“You have a surprisingly cute giggle.” I joked and was immediately surprised at what happened next.

Lara Raith blushed.

Lara Raith, head of the White Court of vampires, controller of the White King himself, actually blushed from embarrassment.

“Oh be quiet Dresden.” She mumbled into her glass. The red of her cheeks fading as she took the last sip of her glass. I grinned as I sipped my own glass, finishing it off as well.

“Hey don’t blame me, I’m just speaking the truth.” I took the check the waiter had dropped off at some point. My wallet actually cried out at the amount. Even with my new found wealth I hoped this would only be a once in a blue moon kind of thing. This place could drain me fast.

“Shall we head out?” I asked as I wiped my mouth with my napkin one last time before placing it over my plate.

“I suppose so, it’s such a shame that this night has to end so soon.” Lara sighed, staring at her empty wine glass one last time before standing. I glanced out at the beautiful clear night and frowned to myself.

“Well…” I said quietly, turning my attention back to Lara. She stopped and looked at me quizzically. “The night is still young, it’s not too hot or too cold. Millennium Park is just a block away.” I looked back at Lara and stood. I offered her my arm and smiled at her. “Why don’t we go for a walk?” She glanced at my arm then up at me. That devious smile spread across her lips, making my self-control doubt itself again. Dammit penis you don’t get a say in this.

“That sounds lovely Harry.” Lara nodded as she slipped her arm though mine. I glanced at her as she used my first name for the first time but shrugged it off. We walked back through the restaurant and bar, drawing more stares from people. I walked to the front to pay for the food when a sinking feeling settled in my stomach and something told me it wasn’t the steak. It was the same feeling I usually get right before a super natural baddie gets to close or causes too much trouble. Sure enough, just as I got my change back the elevator doors opened up and two thugs with the complexion of cinder blocks were waiting inside. They took two steps out and you could hear the metal groan in relief as they did.

“Shit.” I mumbled as I slowly pushed Lara behind me.

“What’s wrong?” Lara asked as she allowed me to guide her behind me, putting myself between her and the elevator.

“Sir?” The cashier asked, following my gaze to the elevator. The two thugs cracked their necks and started looking around. Thankfully there cash register wasn’t in immediate sight of the elevators.

“What is it?” Lara asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

“Gargoyles.” I whispered. They started walking further away from the elevators when they spotted Lara and I.

“Wizard!” The gargoyle on the left shouted. They both started reaching for the concealed firearms I was one hundred percent sure they had hidden on them.

“And of course they’re after me.” I groaned.

And of course they had to show up when Lara and I are more or less magically neutered.

What a super fun night this is turning out to be.


	5. Chapter 5

“Duck!” I yelled at the waiter as I grabbed Lara and dove behind one of the large decorative trough like planters that all high end restaurants like to decorate with. Just as my feet cleared the massive decoration, the gargoyles open fired.

Now the thing about machine gun fire is it’s loud, especially when you’re standing thirty feet away from the guns themselves. And it’s even worse when the people that are firing at you use the age old “spray and pray” method of shooting. I leaned over Lara, keeping my body between her and the planter, pinning her under me as the bullets flew over us. I looked down at her, making sure she was unharmed and saw a look of amusement in her eyes.

“My, my Dresden, pushing me down amidst this chaos? You are a kinky one.” She chuckled sensually, moving her hips to press against me. I groaned quietly and tried to shift my weight off of her without putting my ass in the way of the bullets.

“Not now Lara, gunfire, gargoyles, possibly dying. Not the best time for this!” I tried to complain despite the protests of my lower half.

Little known fact, having an ungodly beautiful woman pinned under you in a very revealing dress does very little for concentration.

“Maybe later then?” She grinned again, stretching her arms above her head, which did a wonderful thing to her dress and chest.

Dammit penis not now!

“Lara, you’re only making this harder.” I grumbled, reaching into my duster pocket to get the key to the cuffs around my ankle.

“But that’s exactly the point Dresden.” She winked playfully at me and laughed softly.

“Not helping!” I groaned as I finally got the key out of my pocket. “Just in case you forgot Lara you’re mostly human right not, so those things flying around us will hurt a hell of a lot more now.” I tried to explain as I fumbled with the key. Realization finally sunk in as she stared at me. Horror flashing across her face as she glanced at my hands which were still trying to unlock the cuffs.

“Shit you’re right. Give me that key. I can probably reach easier than you.” Lara said frantically. I stopped for a second then nodded in agreement before passing her the key. She quickly took the key and reached down, pressing her face into my chest as she tried to unlock the cuffs. I looked straight ahead as I felt her hands trying to reach my leg.

Chicago is so pretty at night. I thought to myself, trying to keep my mind occupied.

“Dammit I can’t reach.” Lara groaned as she laid back down. “Slide up, I need to get closer.”

Oh you have got to be kidding me.

I groaned quietly and crawled up further, putting her face closer to my stomach. She leaned up again, this time pressing her face against me right above my belt. Again I suddenly found something to occupy my thoughts. I focused on the planters beside me, glad that they had decided to use stone instead of wood. I was pretty sure that that’s the only reason the bullets haven’t ripped into us yet.

“Got it!” Lara shouted over the gunfire. I instantly rolled off of her and started gathering my will into my shield bracelet.

“Stay here, stay low, and try not to draw too much attention.” I barked, shrugging out of my duster the best I could. I handed to her before I propped myself up in a runners stance. I gathered my will into a half circle bubble behind me, getting myself ready to run. “Use that for cover. It should shrug off most of the impact from the bullets but it’ll still hurt like a bitch if you get hit.” My eyes darted to the window that wrapped around the building, using their reflections to track their movements. Luckily they hadn’t moved much. I was really glad that gargoyles weren’t the fastest of thinkers. “I’m going to draw their fire so you can get to a safer place. I’m pretty sure they’re after me anyway.”

“Harry.” Lara said so softly I almost didn’t hear her over all of the noise.

“What?” I turned my attention back to Lara. Before I knew what was happening she cupped my face and pressed her lips against mine.

Everything else around us suddenly disappeared.

Now I’ve been kissed by Lara before when she had her inner demon real close to the surface. It was an electrifying moment that gave me enough energy to keep a shield up and keep it strong enough to be blasted out of a cave like a bullet and survive the impact. If it hadn’t been for the Whit Courts painfully allergic reaction to true love and my sad lack of a sex life I might not have made it back to my apartment that night.

Hey, I never said my life is boring.

But his kiss was somehow better than that. It lacked the unnatural pull that the demon inside each vampire forces into each touch, but it was electrifying in its own right. I vaguely remember her hands circling to the back of my head, caressing my head softly, Bu I DEFINITELY remember feeling her tongue push past my lips and caress my own tongue. The kiss had to have only lasted a second or two but the way it kicked my senses into overdrive made those two seconds last forever. Once she pulled away she grinned her perfect mischievous grin before patting my cheek gently.

“Go get ‘em sheriff.” She winked at me and I found myself grinning back at her. I nodded as I looked up, waiting for them to reload before shooting off toward the bar. The gargoyles managed to reload once I got about halfway and started firing at me again. Tiny blue sparks exploded all in the air all around my shield as I ran. If I hadn’t had the forethought to put my shield up before I ran I probably would have had a few extra holes in me right now. I managed to make my way to the corner of the bar and dove over it, making sure I drew their attention. I rolled over and leaned against the bar, noticing that one of the bartenders had ducked down behind the bar instead of running.

“W-what’s h-happening?” The bartender asked. I looked at him for a second, trying to put my thoughts in order before I answered him. He couldn’t have been older than twenty five and he had gotten caught up in this mess. I gotta give the kid credit though, despite shaking like a leaf he had a knife in his hands, ready to defend himself. I smirked as I held up my hands, showing him I didn’t mean him any harm.

“Big scary gargoyles showed up trying to take a piece of my ass. Happens more than you think. The scary things coming after me part, not the things taking pieces of my ass part.” I turned my head and tracked the gargoyles movements with their reflections.

“Gargoyles? Those are real?” The young bartender asked.

“Yup, although they tend to hang around Europe more than the States but I guess these two decided to see what America was like. Guess everyone can get a passport now a days.” The bartender chuckled and I turned to grin at him. “Don’t worry though, these guys aren’t the brightest crayons in the box and they’re lousy shots. I should be able to get around and take care of them pretty easily.” I watched as they walked past the planters. “Good they didn’t see Lara.” I mumbled to myself.

“You mean that smoking hot woman you were with before.” The bartender asked. I turned and nodded at him. He grinned and held his fist out to me. “Nice man.” I stared at his fist for a second then laughed as I bumped my fist against it.

“Thanks man.” I turned to look back at the gargoyles approaching. “Are there only two ways in our out of the bar?” I asked, not taking my eyes off their reflections.

“Yea, there’s the way you came in and the one around the corner.” He pointed back at the other end of the bar where it turned left and led further across the floor.

“Perfect.” I turned and nodded at him. “Sit tight, I’ll make sure nobody gets hurt.” I slowly crawled past him, doing my best to keep quiet. Once I got passed him I looked over my shoulder and grinned at him. “Stay brave man but I wouldn’t try and attack them with a knife, stone skin and everything.” He chuckled and nodded at me.

“Don’t worry, it’s mainly for looks.” He grinned before turning back to watch the way I came in.

I slowly slid across the bar, making my way to the other side. The plan was to creep around and surprise them before they discovered I wasn’t there anymore. I managed to get around and started walking across the outside of the bar just as they passed me. As I watched them move closer to where I was a dark though crossed my mind.

What if the just open fired into the bar without looking? I’m pretty sure they don’t build the bars with anything bullet proof so they’d rip into that poor kid like tissue paper. Shit, I had to act fast if I wanted to save everyone. I started to gather my will as I watched them creep closer. Just a few more steps and they’d be right where I needed them to be. Just one more step.

“Hey dumbasses!” I shouted as I stood up from my hiding place. They both whipped around to face me, obviously surprised that I wasn’t where I was before. Man I’m glad they’re stupid. That brief moment pause was all of the opening I needed. I grinned as cocky grin as I faced them.

“You assholes ruined my date.” I quipped as I threw my hand out at them and shouted. “Forzare!”

See the most thing people get wrong about wizards is that we all need a magic wand or a magic staff to actually use our powers. That’s not entirely true. Wands, staffs, pendants, and any other magic item is used because they’re tools that help us focus. They help us take the unyielding forces of the universe, channel it through whatever tool we’re using at the time, and manipulates it so it comes out stronger or more focused depending on the spell. Think of a pressure washer, it takes all the water flowing through it, focuses it into a small stream that’s more powerful than it was before. So staffs or wands aren’t always needed, they’re just really helpful for focusing that stream.

But I didn’t need a pressure washer for this.

I needed a firehose.

I watched as the invisible force slammed into the first gargoyle, sending him flying into his buddy. They both went flying ass over elbows across the restaurant until the hit the wall that divided the upper floor from the rotating dining area below. I quickly ran closer, kicking their guns thy dropped behind me and further from them. They started to climb to their feet, scrambling for something to use as a weapon.

“Forzare!” I shouted again, sending them over the small half wall and against the glass. I quickly focused another spell, pulling from the mantle of the winter knight to help solidify the spell. “Infriga!”I shouted, sending my will at them and effectively freeing them against the glass. I stood there for a second, catching my breath. Throwing out spells rapid fire without a focus tends to drain anyone pretty quickly. I sucked in a deep breath as I watched them slowly move with the glass. A grin spread my face as I walked to the stairs and down into the seating area, walking slowly with the rotation of the glass.

“Who sent you?” I asked as I walked, keeping my eyes on them but being careful not to run into a chair or table. One of them snorted at me while the other growled something that someone might have called a language.

Even if I call myself a Neanderthal I’m at least smart enough to talk in full sentences. Me talk good.

I sighed as I looked up at the other one. “Any chance that you speak English better than you’re buddy here?” I jerked my thumb at the first gargoyle who was still growling at me. Poor guy didn’t understand that I didn’t understand.

“We will never accept a weak knight who yearns for peace! We will destroy you!” The second gargoyle shouted.

My eyebrows climbed my forehead. I was not expecting a rebel faction.

“Ah, rebels. That was actually not a twist I saw coming.” At least I didn’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder for the Empire. I walked up another set of stairs, putting me on even level with them. They squirmed against the ice, trying desperately to break free but I had put too much will into the spell for them to break it easily. I watched for a minute as the glass carried them away a little bit more. These guys were far too dangerous to let them stay. I focused on the sight of the city at night though the glass. These guys were too dangerous to let go, if they came back they could do some harm to the people, my people, in my city. There was no way I was going to let them go free.

I stepped back up so I was even with them, watching them move again. I took in a deep breath as I focused my spells again. “Infringa!” I shouted, completely freezing them that time. “Forzare!” Invisible force smashed into their frozen bodies, shattering them and the glass behind them. I watched as the tiny shards fell down into the city. Hopefully I put enough force into the spell so the glass wouldn’t hurt anybody. I took another deep breath before I turned away from the glass and toward the people left inside.

They were all staring at me.

My breath caught in my throat and my muscles tighten. Seconds ticked by as I looked from person to person, waiting on the usual cries or insults that came out when I used magic around normal people. Most people only saw what I could do or the damage I did without thinking that I had just saved their lives. But the insults never came. What did happen actually surprised me.

They started clapping.

It started with the bartender, then the waiter that had lead us to our table joined in, then the rest of the staff started and the rest of the people started in. Before long the entire floor was clapping for me. As I walked away from the glass, several people came up to me, trying to shake my hand and clapping me on the shoulder.

“You saved my life son.” One older gentleman said.

“You were so brave.” A woman in red said as she smiled at me.

“I didn’t see everything but you saved us all.” One of the waiters grinned, gripping my hand in a firm handshake.

“That was amazing!” A little kid shouted happily.

“You kicked their asses!” The bartender shouted from behind the bar.

I couldn’t help but blush a little. It was a weird feeling to be praised by vanilla mortals for stopping the baddies, most people either tried to rationalize magic or shout at me for causing damage. But this time it felt good to hear their praise. I was so used to having to hide in the shadows that it felt alien to me to see all of these people appreciative smiles. At some point a man in a three piece suit came up to me and handed me a business card. I took it and glanced down at it and recognized it as the hotel owners’ name.

“Thank you for saving our lives. Who knows what those things could have done to us. Please, as a thank you for what you have done, come back anytime. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.” The man smiled at my and gripped my hand in both of his.

Damn, free food at a five and a half star restaurant? Who could say no to that?

I smiled again at the man when I Lara walked up.

She parted the people around her like the red sea. At some point during the chaos, she had draped my duster over her shoulders. The sleeves hung down empty beside her, the whole thing almost reaching the ground. She walked up to me slowly and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me into a kiss. I couldn’t help it, the mood was so good I kissed her back, resting my hands on her waist. I could feel her lift her leg up at the same time the crowd decided to woo like the audience of a bad rom-com. Lara slowly pulled back, keeping her arms around my neck as she whispered in my ear.

“We should probably leave before the police arrive.” She gave my neck a gentle squeeze before pulling away from me.

“Pinch me first. I feel like I’m in some sort of cheesy action flick.” I grinned wide at her. She let out a quick laugh as she shook her head

“You are simply too much Harry.” She grinned as she tugged my hand. “Come, you still owe me that walk.”

Sparkles danced in eyes as she dragged me around the elevator, leaving the crowd of people behind, safe and sound. I turned back to Lara, smiling and laughing as she dragged me through the restaurant.

It still felt like I was in a bad movie but hey, I wasn’t complaining about it.


	6. Chapter 6

We managed to get to the lobby just as the police showed up. Lara and I played innocent as we worked our way through the crowd. A lot of people were still panicking about the gun fire despite the commotion having been long over. Several cops moved around the crowd, determined to get everything under control and everyone safe as possible. A couple of the cops looked at me questionably as we made our way through the lobby. Honestly it wasn’t hard to see me since I towered over a good portion of the rest of the crowd. I simply shrugged at them like I had nothing to do with anything as we walked past. It’s not my fault that buildings tend to explode around me. Once we finally made it outside we started toward the park, Lara taking my arm in hers again as we walked.

“That was fun.” Lara whispered to me after a few minutes of walking.

“Is that what you call fun?” I laughed as we slowed our pace. I smiled as we started enjoying the walk now that there wasn’t anything trying to kill us. She smirked and glanced up at me quickly.

“Well, that was the most fun we could have while our clothes are still on.” I coughed and nearly tripped over my own two feet. That drew another laugh out of her as she tugged on my arm, making sure I kept my balance.

“You guys and you’re dirty jokes. It’s like you guys need sex to live or something.” Lara looked up at my and arched her eyebrow at me, a small playful smile tugging the corner of her lips. “Oh, right, forgot about that part. My bad.” Lara laughed to herself and shook her head gently.

“But I will admit Dresden, my jokes tonight have obviously not come from my hunger tonight. I truly have enjoyed your company tonight. This is just the real me being playful.” She leaned into my arm a bit more, squeezing me gently. I felt my duster rustle against me as she hugged me. Hell amidst our daring escape I had almost forgotten that she had it.

“Well I’m flattered at the attention. Is my jacket comfortable?” I asked as we stopped at the crosswalk.

“Mhmm, it is, and it smells of you.” She pressed into my arm more and to a deep breath.

“Oh, sorry, I’ll wash it when I get home.” I reached up with my free hand and massaged the back of my neck, a tad bit embarrassed. She let out a bark of laughter before quickly covering her mouth and laughing to herself quietly.

“No.” She chuckled a bit more after her giggles had subsided. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that it has a smell that is unique to you. It’s a very pleasant smell. I can smell the ink that you used when laying out the protection spells on it. I can even visualize all the time and effort and care you put into it. I can faintly smell the kind of polish that you use to make sure that there aren’t any cracks in the leather. I can even smell traces of wood smoke from your old apartment.” She stopped and looks up at me slowly as the light changed. “I am sorry that I brought up your old home. It was inconsiderate of me.”

“Wasn’t your fault.” I shrugged as we crossed the street into Millennium Park. I took a quick second to reattach the manacles to my wrist, making sure that things didn’t go haywire around me. “Nothing you could have done about it anyway. It’s just part of the job. All part of being the sheriff of Chicago.” I smiled and tipped my imaginary ten gallon hat, getting her to grin at me again.

Damn I was really getting used to seeing that grin.

“I suppose, but I want you to remember this. If you ever feel overwhelmed, I will always lend a helping hand to you.” She reached up and placed a small kiss on my cheek. My body temperature instantly rose a couple of degrees at the same time I felt my cheeks turn red to match.

I swear I wasn’t embarrassed.

“So can I say that this peace talk was a success?” I smiled down at her.

“Well, I would have to go over the pros and cons of working with the Sidhe, but I can say for certain I would be honored if you would call me your friend.” Her hand slid down my arm and into mine. I felt her fingers curl into my palm, the action actually surprising me. “If you even need my help, for anything, simply ask Harry.”

I’m pretty sure my eyebrows had taken up forehead climbing at some point with the rate I as being surprised tonight.

“You know, I think that’s the first time you’ve called me by my first name.” I smiled as we passed by the big bean.

You know I never really understood why someone would commission a sculpture of a giant bean but hey, I never claimed to have an understanding on fine art or whatever it is they call it.

Lara quickly turned her attention to the sculpture, her cheeks had taken on a pinker tint surprisingly. Her grip on my hand changed and she squeezed gently as we stood there.

“Well I figured with our newly formed partnership I figured we could address each other more familiarly.” Lara blushed a bit more as we stood there. I smiled before I turned and started to look at the Big Bean some more. Several minutes passed as we stood there, just enjoying each other presence.

“You know, it’s unusual.” Lara said softly, not taking her eyes off the bean. “Without my hunger, I feel more susceptible to my emotions. I don’t feel like I have this big bad creature behind me to help keep my usual mask up. I feel human.” She looked over to me like a child experiencing Christmas for the first time. “It’s new to me, like something I’ve seen from a distance hundreds of thousands of time but am only getting the chance to experience it for the first time.” She kept looking at me, the same look of bewilderment in her eyes.

“That would be your humanity starting to show Lara.” I winked at her. Her face turned a darker shade of pink and quickly turned back to the silver monstrosity. “So you’re saying you actually feel emotions now?” I asked, smirking as a fun idea came to mind. She nodded once then turned back to face me.

“For the record, I’ve always had emotions. I was just better at hiding them before.” Lara pointed out.

“So you’re saying you’re an open book now?” I asked as a grin slowly spread across my face

“I supposed you could say that.” She nodded and looked at me questionably.

Oh this was going to be fun.

“So I have something I’ve wanted to ask you.” I paused and she nodded. “That night in the deeps, if it hadn’t been for Susan, what would you have done to me?” I smiled, pushing the brief feeling of sorrow down as I remembered Susan. Her face turned red again as she remembered that night. She suddenly found the Big Bean very interesting.

“For the record, that was my Hunger taking control. That was not me in complete control. However…” She paused and turned her attention to me, her face still a bit red as she stared me square in the face. “I would have torn your clothes off of you, mounted you, and shown you exactly what heaven looks like and since you are a wizard, it would have been a very, VERY, long tour.”

I swear if I had a drink in my hand I would have done a spit take. But I didn’t so I settled on choking on my own saliva. I was not expecting that kind of answer.

“Be careful of what you ask for Harry.” She grinned as I slowly tried to pull my shattered imagination back together. She stood there for a second, the face showing that her mind was wrapping around some thought.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked softly.

“It occurs to me.” Lara said as she gently pulled herself away from me. She started walking in the opposite direction we came in, towards Lurie Garden. “Because my Hunger is currently sealed. I could, in theory, do exactly what my Hunger tried to do that night without ant potential threat to your life.” She explained as we walked. She hopped up onto one of the stone signs that read “Chase Promenade.” She was more graceful in heels that I would ever be in tennis shoes.

“Umm, what?” I asked, my face red and my mind once again shattered at the stimulating thoughts. She spun around to face me and flashed a smile that would have turned a lesser man to jelly.

Damn even without the psychic lure Lara was still a knockout.

“We could pick up right where we left off that night.” She grinned at me. I stared at her for a second as I regained my composure.

“Lara, you might not know or care but I’m not into the whole casual sex thing.” I sighed despite the protest of my over teased libido.

“Who says it’s simply casual? Maybe with my new found humanity, I’m looking for something…more?” Her cheeks turned a bit pink as she watched my reaction.

“Are you suggesting…we go out?” I asked quietly. Her cheeks turned a bit redder as she nodded once.

“It might just be this human mentally I have right now but I’m in the mood to experience more human like things.” She mutter softly as she stepped off the sign.

I thought about her offer for a second before my mind went to Karrin. After the whole mess with Nicodemus, Karrin and I had tried a normal relationship. But we had to cut if off when she said she couldn’t trust me anymore. I tried to be more honest with her but I didn’t want her caught up in whatever bullshit Mab might have me involved in. I started keep quiet about things again, trying to keep her safe but eventually it all fell down around me again. I wanted to keep her safe, make sure that nothing could get to her, but all I did was push her away until she was gone.

I tried to blink back the tears before they fell but one escaped. Lara stared at me for a second before coming closer and wrapping her arms around my waist.

“I’m sorry. I did not mean to bring back bad memories. I knew you cared deeply about her and she broke your heart but I thought enough time had passed.” Her hug tightened as she pressed her cheek against my chest.

“It’s okay.” I whispered softly, wiping my eyes before hugging her back. “I’m fine, really. I do need to move on.” I pat her back gently, letting her know I was okay. She sighed softly, obviously saddened at the loss of contact as she pulled away. She looked up at my affectionately and smiled softly. “Thank you for the hug. It’s always nice to have a pretty girl hug me and make he feel better.” I winker at her playfully. She laughed and gently slapped my chest.

“Oh shut up Harry.” Her smile made its way to her eyes, making them twinkle as she looked up at me.

“Make me.” I chuckled, feeling a tad childish now. She smile quickly turned into a smirk as she looked at me questionably.

“I could you know. It’s really not hard to silence someone like you if one had the right tools. And I do have the right tools.” Her smirk turned wicked as she pressed her chest against me, letting me feel every inch of her breasts. I bit back a groan and her grin grew. “Shall I?” She asked sensually, her hands still resting on the small of my back. I stared at her as several scenes raced through my mind. Just a heartbeat passed as they did but I smiled softly as I looked at her in front of me and stopped imagining the things that could happen.

“Go for it." I whisper softly, meeting her gaze for just a second. Her grin turned into a full smile as her hands slide around my waist. They traveled up my stomach, roaming up my chest and shoulders before wrapping themselves around my neck gently. She pulled herself up a bit and gently pressed her lips to mine. I gave up resisting instantly, her lips were just too intoxicating. My hands found their way to her hips, holding her to me as we kiss. Seconds quickly turned to minutes before she pulled away, both of us breathing slightly harder as time returned to normal. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at me.

“Shall we get back to the house?” She asked softly, planting a very soft kiss on my lips like a signature.

“I think so. Public indecency is a pretty serious crime.” I winked as I leaned down and left a signature of my own. She laughed a healthy laugh that softly died against my lips. She pulled away slowly, nipping my bottom lip gently with a giggle.

“Let’s go.” Lara whispered as she took one of my hands in hers. Her smile was infectious and I found myself smiling as well as she dragged me back to the streets. I watched the limo pull up as my smile widened. It had been awhile since I had felt like this and I decided that I was going to fully enjoy the night.

Hopefully no gargoyles would bust in a ruin the party.


	7. Chapter 7

I couldn’t tell you what time we got back to the Raith mansion. Hell I couldn’t even tell you how long the drive took or how bad the traffic was. As soon as we got back in the limo and the doors shut behind us, Lara slid into my lap instead of one of the amazingly comfortable seats around us. Not that I was complaining. Especially since Lara decide to assault my neck and cheek with kisses the entire ride back. And I definitely wasn’t complaining that she kept her body pressed close to mine while assaulting me with the aforementioned kisses.

Nope, not complaining at all.

Sadly all that had to end at some point along the ride. Once we got back to the mansion, Lara grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the limo. She led me up the stairs and stopped to face me, that wide perfect smile still on her lips.

“Make sure you stay very quiet once we get inside. At least until we get to my room. She grinned at me.

“Lara we’re adults, we don’t have to sneak around like horny teenagers doing something after hours.” I sighed, smiling a bit. Even though that was exactly what we were doing, minus the teenager part. Lara’s face turned into a blank mask, staring me down like I had just suggested we kick a puppy across town.

“Harry, we are literally about to walk through a den of sex hungry vampires. Even as I human I can smell the arousal off of you. How easily do you think they could smell you or me? Also my father is in there too, now I’m not too sure how fatherly he would be if he was woken up by me trying to sneak you into my room but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t approve of you being here so late. Do you really want to be loud?” She explained plainly. I blinked a few times as I let that all sink in.

“You know what, maybe being quiet isn’t all that bad.” I shrugged as she grinned.

“I thought so.” She quickly took her heels off before opening the door. She dragged me inside and up the stairs as quietly as possible. We passed the hole I had blasted in the wall and glanced over her shoulder at me, her eyebrow raised in silent question.

“Thomas, sorry.” I whispered as we climbed the stairs. She shook her head but smiled as we made our way up the stairs.

It’s a good thing I had Lara with me because if I tried to navigate the grounds, they would find me years later as a skeleton. After climbing who knows how many stairs and walking who knows how far, we finally stopped at a pair of dark wood doors. Lara turned to face me with a smile that was even wider than before. Don’t ask me how but she managed to give a smile that matched the Cheshire Cat’s, it was even glowing in the low light the moon gave from the window. She pulled me to her and pressed my lips against hers again at the same time as she pulled me into her room.

I remember closing the door with my foot as she pulled me in, probably making more noise than I should have looking back on it. Her hands quickly came up and tangled themselves in my hair. I felt her lips pressing harder into mine as she arched her body into me. My arm slide down and wrapped around her waist, pulling her up and against me so I wouldn’t have to lean down to kiss her. She let out an appreciative moan as her tongue slide past my lips. A groan of desire flowed from my mouth and into hers as I started walking us along the floor. When I didn’t feel the bed after the first few steps I slowly broke the kiss, drawing a moan of disapproval from Lara. I looked up from her to try to find the bed, giving me the first look of Lara’s “bedroom.”

It was more of a high class hotel room than a simple bedroom. I really should have expected that considering who I was dealing with.

We had walked about halfway into a modest sitting room. Several white couches that were outlined in some kind of dark wood took up the left half of the room, all facing toward a large plasma screen TV mounted on one of the creamy white walls. The entire back wall was one big window that lead out to a fairly large patio. It was big enough to at least fit a party of twenty five people and everybody have plenty of elbow room. A full kitchen was tucked into the opposite corner of the room, complete with refrigerator, dish washer, and plenty of counter space. A single door took up the space of the last empty corner, a very simple dark wood door in comparison to the rest of the rooms’ decor. Lara smiled at the amazed expression on my face, slowly untangling herself from me and lowering herself on to the hard wood floor. God these people loved wood.

Heh.

Who says I’m not funny.

Lara gently took my hand and led me to the door nestled into the corner. She opened the door and led me inside, a touch of pink lining her cheeks as she showed me her bedroom. Lara’s room was nothing at all like what I thought it would be.

It’s was actually pretty normal.

One wall was simply a giant window that mirrored the one in the sitting room. Red wood dressers framed the large round bed that rested against the back wall. The dressers themselves were surprisingly plain in design but they were decorated with a few pictures of the family members she was closest with. There was even a picture of her and Thomas enjoying some Italian dish that I was too simple to understand. It was surprisingly touching considering where it was. The wall opposite the window was another wall sized piece of glass that revealed a very large bathroom, complete with a glass shower in the corner and hot tub style bath sunk into the floor. Lara tugged me over to the bed and gently pushed me on to the edge of the bed. Just as my butt hit the bed I felt her lips on mine again and her legs straddle me as she lowered herself onto my lap. Her fingers ran though my hair again as her tongue found its way back into my mouth.

My hands slide into the sides of my duster she was still wearing and cupped her waist as she arched her body into mine, moaning into my lips sensually. That noise by itself could drive any heterosexual man crazy if they heard it as close as I did. I felt her hands trail down the back of my head and neck till they snaked around to rest on my shoulders. She slipped her hands inside my jacket and slowly, almost tortuously slow, pushed it down my arms. I shrugged out of it and dropped it to the carpet.

Looks like even vampires aren’t immune when it comes to cold wood under their feet in the morning.

I grinned to myself at the thought as Lara’s hands slide back up and started to unbutton my shirt. Once she finished the last button she pushed my shirt open, running her hands over my exposed chest. I slide my hands back and pulled my shirt off as well, never letting my lips or tongue leave hers as I did. Lara moaned softly again before pulling away from the kiss, this time puling an irritated groan from my lips.

“So many scars.” Lara whispered as she turned her attention to my exposed chest. “You’ve seen more battles than a man that has lived five of your lifetimes can claim.” Lara purred as she kissed a line across my jaw. She ran a finger along a scar that started on my left shoulder and ran across to my right side.

“I consider them badges of honor. Like a way more painful purple heart that I can’t take off. Plus each one tells a story of someone coming into my city and trying to start something, only to either be carried away in a body bag or having their ashes scattered to the winds.” I winked as I leaned back on my arms, watching her hand travel across my chest and rest on my abdomen. She smiled and leans forward, placing a trail of kisses along my chest.

“It goes to show how resilient you are.” She kissed her way back up my neck and along my jaw. Her hands slide up and pushed my shirt off my shoulders completely. I leaned up and kissed her softly as I dropped my shirt to the floor. “Plus it doesn’t hurt to make you look more masculine.” She winked as she put her hands back on my chest and kissed me softly. I laughed against her lips and smiled

“Why thank you, I try to look as masculine as possible.” I grinned as I reached up and slowly pulled my duster off of her. She grinned as she dropped it to the floor, her eyes sparkling at me.

“Well you do a fantastic job.” She grinned wider at me as she slowly rolled her hips against me. I groaned as I reached up and cupped the back of her head, tangling my fingers in her hair as I pulled her into a kiss. She purred against my lips as she rested her arms on my shoulders. I groaned as my other hand slide around and slowly unzipped her dress. A chuckle escaped from her lips as she pulled away. “I was wondering when you would get to that part.”

“Well it is kind of hard to focus on anything when you have a jaw dropping super sex goddess on your lap kissing and grinding against you.” I grinned as I pulled the zipper the rest of the way down. Her face blushed red again as she shrugged out of her dress.

Now I’ve seen Lara naked before, working in my line of work with all the creatures that have claws and teeth, clothing tends to get shredded rather quickly. But I’ve never seen her this close in this sort of atmosphere.

It was the same feeling as standing right next to a masterpiece in a high class art gallery.

She sat perfectly still in my lap, her face red as he dress pooled around her waist. I took in the sight of her bare breasts, my eyes roaming of the beautiful creamy color and resting on the hard pink nubs of her nipples. My hand slid up her stomach and cupped her breast, drawing a soft gasp from her.

“Absolutely beautiful.” I whispered as I leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her chest.

“You certainly know how to woo a woman Harry.” Lara giggled, making her breast move in a very interesting way, instantly drawing my eyes. She smirked at me as her hands came up and she covered her breasts. “Stop staring.” She smiled mischievously as I met her eyes.

“Tease.” I grinned before leaning in to kiss her lips again. She purred against my lips softly as her hands slide up my chest to tangle in my hair again. I grinned against her lips as my hands rested on her waist. She arched her body into mine, pressing her chest closer to me. That got a very appreciative growl from me.

Shit why were pants so annoying?

“Maybe I’m just savoring the moment.” Lara purred softly, pulling away to kiss a trail along my jaw. Her hands slowly slide down my chest, making their way southward till the found the hem of my pants. With a few quick practiced motions, Lara pulled my belt off and dropped it to the floor. I nearly groans in relief as she did. “Better?” She asked coyly.

“Oh you have no idea.” I grinned as I leaned into the crook of her neck. She arched against me and moaned softly as I kissed right under her ear. As I kissed her more, my hand slid down and cupped her ass, giving it a gentle squeeze. She squeaked softly and jumped in surprise pressing her chest even closer to mine. I slowly pulled away from her, my eyes wide in surprise.

“Did you just squeak?” I asked softly. Her face lit up as she looked toward the window.

“Shut up Harry.” She whispered, trying to hide her embarrassment. I grinned as I leaned back in and kissed her neck more. She moaned softly and I squeezed her ass again. Her back ached as she gasped, quickly moaning again as she started to roll her hips against me. “You are an evil man Harry Dresden.” Lara moaned, grinning at me teasingly.

“Again, beautiful woman, half dressed, lap, not my fault.” I winked at her. She grinned and leans closer to kiss my lips again.

“Well let me show you how much I like this side of you.” She grinned her wicked grin before sliding out of my lap. I watched as she took a step back and slid out of her dress, letting it fall to the floor.

“Damn.” I mumbled. Harry Dresden, all powerful wizard, master of the arcane, able to wield the powers of the universe, was stunned at a naked woman.

“What?” Lara asked softly, her cheeks turning peak as she stood there in only her panties. She followed my eyes and crossed her arms in front of her, the action oddly innocent on her. I smiled as I leaned forward, placing my hands on her hips and kissing her stomach. She smiled as her hands moved to cup my face, pulling my gaze up to her.

“It’s intriguing.” Lara said softly as she looked down at me. “Without my demon, I can feel everything more clearly. Which is why I squeaked earlier, it is not a sound I make normally.” She glared playfully at me and I just laughed. “It’s also the first time I have been with someone without the intention of feeding on them. I feel like a human experiencing her first time.” Lara blushed as she lowered herself back into my lap, placing a soft kiss on my lips. I kissed her back slowly as her hands rested on my shoulders. She pulled away and grinned as she slowly pushed me on my back. “But now it’s time for the fun part.” She grinned wider as she leaned forward, kissing a trail down my neck. I moaned as I felt her kiss down my chest. I leaned up on my elbows, watching her kiss lower.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her. She glanced up as me as she made her way to the hem of my pants and winked at me. Her hands came around my waist and started to unbutton my pants. As she did that I kicked my shoes off, nearly sending them across the room. Her eyebrow arched up in silent question as she heard my shoes clunk against the floor. I shrugged, silently apologizing at the noise. She smiled and shook her head as she tugged my pants down and off. A grin spread across her face as she eyed the bulge in my boxers.

“Oh impressive, very impressive.” Lara purred as she kissed the base of my bulge. My hips twitched feeling her hot lips through the thing material of my boxers. The twinkle in her eyes came back as she watched my reaction. “Eager aren’t we?” She licked her lips slowly as her hand caressed my thigh. I groaned as in anticipation as I felt her fingers curl around the hem of my boxers and slowly pull them off. Her eyes widened as she watched my painfully hard erection spring free.

“Oh my, my, my.” Lara purred, tossing my last remaining clothing aside. Her fingers wrapped around my shaft, stroking slowly as she eyed my erection like a new toy. “This is going to be VERY enjoyable.” She purred, placing another kiss at the base of my shaft. I started to groan but my voice caught in my throat once I felt her tongue travel up my length. Her lips wrapped around the tip and I nearly lost my mind once I felt her start sucking. My hand came up instantly and cupped the back of her head gently.

Now I don’t know if you’ve ever gotten a blowjob from a vampire that makes an entire team of Swedish super models look like ugly hags but let me tell you a little secret. I couldn’t think of anything at all to say which is just shy of a miracle in itself. Words flowed through my mind, bouncing against each other but I was unable to form any complete thought at all. I tried to mumble something to let her know I was enjoying it but everything that tried to leave my mouth just turned into a moan. Somehow I don’t think see needed me to tell her she was doing a good job. I leaned up and watched her head bobbing up and down on me which just made a shiver run down my back. My hips jerked upward when I felt her wrap her tongue around me. I lifted up more, balancing on my elbow so I can watch her easier. Apparently she felt me watching her and looked up at me, her lips turning up slightly as she started moving faster. MY mind fogged up even more so that before as I watched the stars in her eyes twinkle.

Then she winked at me.

Now ladies I’m going to tell you a secret about us guys. Giving a guy head is one of the single sexiest things you could do. If a guy asks you to do that, yes he wants a load off but he’s also putting a little bit of trust in you. Think about it, everything has teeth, and teeth are very, very sharp. They have to be in order for us to chew through the kinds of things we humans eat. Plus, most guys would rather take a bullet in the brain than get shot in the crotch. So if a guy asks you for that bj, he’s putting a bit of faith in you not to bite his deck off. And if you do anything by doing the deed, then it makes it that much better for your man. Especially if you wink at them. So winking and giving them a sexy I-know-what-I’m-doing-to-you smirk just makes any guy go ohmygawd.

My hips jerked as I came. At the same time, I sat up and my other hand went to Lara’s head. She didn’t move as I came, her eyes closing gently as she focused on my release. I finally uncurled myself and removed my fingers from her hair once I finished cumming. She let out a soft purr that vibrated against my still sensitive. I shivered softly as she pulled away from me. Her eyes met mine for a brief instant and that mischievous smiled tugged on the corners of her lips. Then she winked at me as she swallowed.

Ohmygawd.

I lied ladies. THAT is the sexiest thing you can do.

“Mmmm such a pleasant taste.” Lara purred as she kissed a trail up my body. At some point during all that she had removed her panties and she wanted me to know it. Her lips pressed against my chin as she pressed her sex against my leg. She kissed a trail up my neck and cheek and whispered in my ear. “I do hope you will repay the favor.” She purred softly as she rolled her hips against my leg.

There’s only so much teasing I can take. I rolled over, pinning her under me as my lips found hers. My hands rested on the bed on either side of her head, holding myself up as I pulled away from her lips. I stared down at her, simply admiring this beautiful woman under me. A grin spread across her face as she stared at me. I leaned back down and kissed her jaw, kissing a trail down her neck. She gasped softly as I made my way to her breasts, kissing her cleavage gently. My lips slid across the soft skin of her breasts, barely touching her till I found her nipple.

Her breath caught in her throat as my lips wrapped round the hard bud. I felt her hand come up and tangle in my head as I started to tease her with my lips. I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I slide my other hand up and cupped her other breast. A soft growl escaped my lips as I felt her tug my hair, my lips vibrating against her nipple. She cried out softly, tugging my hair harder and arching up against me. I chuckled to myself as I kissed across her breasts again to her other nipple. My eyes slowly closed as I listened to her moan from my teasing. I finally pulled away from her breast, grinning up at her as I kissed a trail down her stomach, my tongue lashing out at her flawless skin as I made my way lower. She shivered and glanced down at me as she opened her legs slowly.

“You know, I have always wondered if that mouth of yours could do that smart off or spit out references. Lara purred at me. I looked up and found her grinning down at my, biting her bottom lip in anticipation. I chuckled softly, leaning down to place a teasing kiss on her thing.

“You’ll see.” I grinned as I kissed her sex. Her back arched off the bed as her hands gently gripped the sheets. I grinned wider as I extended my tongue, lapping at her folds. Her moans increased in volume as I tasted her. My hands slowly slide up her body, holding her sides as my lips pressed against her. Sweat started to coat her body as I tasted her, making her body shine in the light. I glanced up her perfect body, her face twisted from the pleasure and her fists were gripping the sheets.

“Oh god Harry.” Lara gasped. I smirked as I pressed my tongue against her entrance. Her hips jerked up again as I pushed my tongue inside her. One of her hands released the bed and found its way to the back of my head, tangling her fingers in my hair. I closed my eyes as I listened to her breathing grow more labored, focusing on pleasing her. I slide one hand up to cup her breast, feeling her chest heaving. I groaned against her, making my lips vibrate against her clit and sending her over the edge. Her hips arched off the bed as she climaxed, her breathe caught in her throat as her legs wrapped around my head and she pulled on my hair. I waited until I felt her legs slowly unwrap themselves from my head before I moved away. I pushed myself up, my chin glistening from her cum. She turned her head and smiled at me, her chest still heaving with labored breaths.

“That’s a wonderful look on you.” She grinned as she untangled her fingers from the bed. I chuckled as I wiped my chin before leaning closer to her.

“Glad you approve.” I chuckled again as her hand came up to my neck. She smiled again as she pulled me to her, pulling my lips to hers. Her other arm wrapped around my neck, her fingers tangling in my hair as she pulled me more into the kiss. I happily let her direct me, my body pressing against hers.

“Oh my.” She mumbled against my lips before breaking the kiss. She leaned back and gazed down between our bodies at my erection pressed against her leg. “Ready to go so soon? You are very manly.” Her smile dazzling as she grinned at me. She slowly slide her hands down my body and pressed her palms against my chest, and gently pushed. I debated moving at first, there’s just something about having a naked super model level vampire under me that spoke deeply to me. But my chivalrous nature wouldn’t let me simply ignore a woman’s wants. I rolled off of her and laid on the bed beside her, watching as she stood up and swayed over to our pile of clothes.

I swear I didn’t stare at her ass.

Ok I didn’t stare too hard.

“Stop staring so hard as my ass Harry.” Lara chuckled without turning around.

What? You try not to stare at Lara Raith’s ass, that thing was a dangerous weapon in itself.

“I wasn’t starting that hard.” I grinned as I propped myself up on my elbows as she bent over to pick up my duster.

Now THAT was s sight men would kill for.

She picked up my duster and rummaged through the outside pockets before pulling something out and dropped my duster back to the floor. I watched as she hid something in her hand and turned back toward me. A grin spread across her hips as she walked back, swaying her hips just to tease me even more. I smiled as she crawled up my body and kissed me softly before holding up the condom Thomas had slid into my pocket. My face turned fifty shades of red as I stared at her wicked smile.

“Umm, I didn’t…that’s not…” I tried to stutter out an excuse but my brain wouldn’t function from embarrassment.

“Relax Harry.” Larra giggled as she ripped the packaging open with her teeth. “I know this wasn’t your intentions from the beginning. Plus I saw Thomas sneak this into your pocket.” Her smile widened as she reached down and slowly put the condom on me. “But in this instance I’m glad he was so thoughtful.” She purred as she kissed me once more before pushing me back on the bed. I watched as she positioned herself over my member, grasping it gently as she guided it to her entrance. She looked me in the eyes and bit her bottom lip as she lowered herself onto me.

Her head fell out and she let out a low moan as I entered her. A shiver ran through me as I felt her take more of me until her hips rested on mine. My hands slide up and caressed her hips as she sat there, biting her bottom lip as she enjoyed the feeling. A smile spread across her face as she looked at me and rested her hand on my chest.

Then she moved.

Now I’m not a virgin. I have a daughter and a half, the half being a spirit of intellect that was born when a copy of a demon that lived in my head sacrificed itself to save me from a vampire’s psychic depression assault.

Never said my life wasn’t interesting.

But this was something on a whole new level. Lara had to have had decades, if not centuries of practice pleasing people. She moved her hips perfectly, drawing out moans from both of our lips with each movement. She knew exactly which erotic face to make to stir up my more primal urges. I had to fight the Winter Knights mantel from coming up once or twice just because of those looks. Her hands trailed down my chest, her nails very gently raking down my abdomen before going up her own body. I watched in awe as her hands trailed up her stomach along her breast, and even through her hair, making sure that my eyes never stayed on one spot too long. She smiled down at me as she rode me, making sure I knew that this was exactly what she was getting what she had been after for a while. It wasn’t long before I felt my balls tighten. Lara reached down, putting her hands on my chest as she continued to move her hips against me.

“Not…yet…Harry.” Lara moaned, moving her hips a bit slower. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip, trying to hold out a little bit longer. Thankfully I didn’t have to hold out long. A moment later she arched her back and nearly screamed as she climaxed. I moaned loudly myself as I came with her. I felt Lara lay down on me as the waves of pleasure slowly rolled through us.

We stayed like that for a while, simply letting our bodies relax. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders as I my body started to relax again. Lara looked up at me, her eyes glazed over in satisfaction. Her arms slide up and wrapped around my neck gently as she rested her head in the crook of my neck.

“I do hope you’re as satisfied as I am.” Lara said softly as she placed a gentle kiss on my neck. I couldn’t help but laugh as I caressed her bare back.

“Oh you have no idea.” I smiled as I wrapped my other arm around her waist. She smiled wider as she pressed against me more. I listened to her breathing slow until I thought she was asleep. Silence started to fill the air around us as she slept soundly. Honestly I was surprised she fell asleep before me but I guess she was only working on a fraction of the energy she usually had. I sighed quietly as very slowly untangled myself from her and laid her on the bed beside me. She let out a soft noise of protest but fell back into silence. I started to clean myself up when I heard Lara stir.

“Going somewhere?” Lara asked? I turned and saw Lara sitting up and smiling at me.

“Not at all, just wanted to clean myself up.” I smiled as I dropped the condom into the trash. She smiled wider as I walked back to the bed.

“How very thoughtful, now get back over here.” She winked at me as I crawled across the massive bed. I placed a soft kiss on her lips before pulling the blankets out from under her. I laid back down on the bed, waiting for her to lay down before pulling the blankets over us. She rested her head on my arm, sliding closer until she nuzzled her head into my neck. “Oh what about the light?” I asked as I started to get up until I felt her hand push back down on my chest.

“Don’t worry.” She said sleepily. She nuzzled closer into me and clapped her hands together, sending us into darkness, the only light coming from the moon outside. I blinked a few times as I lay there in near total darkness. Figured a high end castle slash mansion would have clappers. A smile spread across my face as I laid there in silence before sleep started to come to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders to hold her against me the manacles I had forgotten about jingling softly. A soft happy sound came from her as she nuzzled against my neck more just before I fell asleep.

Asleep with a vampire at my neck.

Huh.

First time for everything I guess.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunlight streamed through the window, slowly pulling me from a very peaceful sleep. I can’t remember the last time I had a peaceful sleep so I wasn’t too happy to be pulled out of it so soon. I covered my eyes with my forearm and groaned.

“Would somebody please turn off the sun?” I groaned to nobody in particular. I heard a soft clap come from near my chest and the sunlight went away. My eyes snapped open behind my arm and my mind started racing. Dozens of questions started flowing through my mind all at the same time. Who was in my bed? Why was my bed so much more comfortable than I remember? What was this soft gentle pressure on my chest? What had happened to the sun?

Then clarity hit me like a ton of bricks.

I slowly moved my arm away and looked down to see Lara laying on my chest and smiling up at me, her eyes still a bit unfocused from sleep.

“Morning Harry.” Lara said softly as she placed a small kiss on my bare chest. My heart started beating a bit faster just from her touch.

“Umm…morning Lara.” I answered as she pressed herself tighter against me. She slid her hand up and started caressing my chest as she made herself comfortable. We laid there together for who knows how long before either of us said anything.

“I do wish I didn’t have to get up.” Lara purred, draping one bare leg over mine. We stayed like that for several more minutes before Lara slowly untangled herself from me. I watched as she slowly climbed out of bed and walking over to her closet. Watching an attractive woman undress is always sexy but watching one get dressed is a whole different kind of sexy. She must have felt my eyes on her ass because she looked over her shoulder and grinned at me. I quickly sat up and grabbed at the blankets, trying to hide my erection. I heard her chuckle as she walked back over to me and placed a soft kiss on my lips. The steel grey business suit she had picked out hung open as she leaned over, giving me a wonderful view of her waist and the black bra she had decided on.

“I’d watch where you point that thing. I don’t need you trying to tempt me back into bed. I do have a lot to do today even though I would much love to crawl back into bed and…enjoy your company more.” Lara grinned before stepping away to finish getting dressed. I waited a second before sliding out of bed and started to get dressed myself. Right as I was fixing the collar of my shirt I felt Lara’s arms wrap around my waist. I felt her press her cheek to my back as her arms tightened her waist gently. “Curse having to run an entire household.” Lara mumbled into my back. That made me laugh as I turned around in her arms, wrapping my own around her shoulders. A smile spread across my face as I looked down at her.

“Don’t worry too much, being the boss just means you get to set your own hours. When you get done you know where to find me.” A smile touched her face as she looked up at me. “And I know this is a little backwards but…Lara Raith, would you like to go on a date? An actual date.” I asked, my heart beating a bit faster as I waited. She stared at me for several seconds before she started laughing.

Okay that didn’t do anything for my confidence.

She laughed for a solid minute. When she finally calmed down she smiled up at me, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“I apologize Harry, I did not mean to laugh at you. It’s just…I don’t think anyone has ever asked me on a date. Most people are too scared to ask me that.” She chuckled again. “I would very much like that.” Her smile widened as she leaned up and kissed me softly.

“Great.” I mumbled against her lips. She broke the kiss and sighed as she stepped toward the door. “Maybe we could go see that new Captain America movie when it comes out in a next weekend?” I asked as I grabbed my duster. She stopped and looked over her shoulder back at me, her eyes twinkling as a smile formed on her face.

“I’ve already got tickets.” She winked at me before slipping through the door. I stood there for a second before laughing to myself.

Damn there is nothing on this planet sexier than a nerdy girl. Seriously, all a girl has to do is talk nerdy to me and I’m putty.

Sadly my laughter slowly died out when I saw a brief flash of light come through the crack under the door. Lara had taken off the ring and gone into full business vampire mode. I sighed softly to myself, a bit sad that she had to go back. I waited for a few minutes before I walked myself out of her room.

I somehow managed to navigate my way through the maze of hallways that was Chateau Raith. You would be surprised how many room I passed where I heard some kind of moaning. I passed by door after door, hearing moan after moan. As much as I was against the idea of the White Court vampires feeding on people, there was no way in any version of hell was I going to try and stop them on their home court. I’m rash, not stupid.

After a while I managed to find the kitchen, which was more normal than I thought, aside from the size. I figured it would be a lot bigger considering all the mouths they had to feed here but I guess it’s not normal mortal food they live off of in the first place. One vampire stood by the larger than normal sized fridge. Well I guess they do eat normal food every now and then. The smell of freshly made coffee drifted through the air and tickled my nose like one of those old Loony Toon cartoons. Seriously I had to put a lot of effort into not floating off the ground as I walked over to the vampire.

“Hey buddy, mind if I get a cup?” I asked as I walked up behind him.

“Yea sure.” He said in very familiar voice. I thought about it but my mind stopped working once he handed me a full cup without looking at me.

“Thanks man.” I said, taking the mug and sipping from it.

“Don’t mention it.” The vampire responded. His back suddenly straightened in realization before whipping his head around to face me. “Harry?” Thomas asked, surprise plastered across his face.

“Sup?” I asked nonchalantly as I sipped on my coffee. He started at me wide eyed, looking me up and down. His eyes took in my clothes and my slightly still messy hair. A smile stretched across his face as he finally looked back up at me.

“Harry Dresden, it’s about damn time bro.” He slapped my shoulder. “Glad you finally got laid man. Took Lara for a ride did ya?” His smile faded as he frowned at himself. “Note to self, don’t use the words bro, Lara, and laid in the same breath.” He looked back up at my and his smile reappeared. I snorted and simply sipped on my coffee.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Uncle Thomas.” I smirked behind my mug.

“Bullshit, you know exactly what I-“ He cut himself off and all the color drained from his face. Which was actually impressive since his skin was already pale to begin with. “Uncle? Oh Harry, don’t tell me you didn’t use…” He trailed off, staring at my perfect impression of a statue. “Oh please tell me you’re not being serious. That would make me a double uncle, oh god how would I explain that to people. That would be so damn weird.” Thomas said as he ran his finger through his hair.

I couldn’t help it and lost it then. I started laughing while trying not to spill my coffee at the same time. Thomas just stared at me in confusion, the look on his face only making me laugh harder. Once I managed to calm down I grinned at him.

“Don’t worry Thomas, you won’t be a double uncle.” I started laughing again, doubling over and holding my sides. He growled at me in frustration, a sound that would scare most people but only made me laugh harder.

“That’s not funny Harry. I thought I was going to have to have the safe sex talk with you.” He winced and smacked the back of my head. My laughter finally died and I stood back up to face him.

“Trust me Thomas, you won’t have to worry about that.” I grabbed my coffee and took a quick sip. “Yet.” I wiggled my eyebrows and ducked to avoid another smack upside the head. I took a step back and stood there in silence so I could finish my coffee. “Oh that reminds me.” I dug into my pocket as I set my empty mug down. I pulled out a small box identical to the one I gave Lara the previous day and tossed it to him. He caught it out of the air without so much as trying. He arched an eyebrow as he eyed the box. I sighed to myself as I watched him open the box slowly like it was going to explode.

Heck really couldn’t blame the guy though, people tend to think I’m a really attractive target.

“Harry this is nice.” Thomas said as he finally opened the box and looked at the ring inside. “But I’m a vampire, you’re a human, I’m not gay, you’re my brother. It would just never work out.” I glared at him and seriously contemplated throwing my coffee mug at him.

“No dumb ass. It’s more for Justine than you.” Thomas’ eyes narrowed at me, like a hunter whose hunting grounds had just been invaded. “Not like that either dumb ass. I wouldn’t dream of trying anything with her.” I walked closer to him so we wouldn’t be overheard. “The ring seals off your inner demon, pretty much making you human. It makes it possible for you to touch people who are seriously in love without you being hurt. Also you can be with people without feeding on them.” I explained quietly. His eyes widened as I explained everything.

“And you’re sure it works?” He asked quietly, looking at the ring like it was a live grenade.

“Positive. How do you think I’m still alive from a night with Lara?” I smacked my chest to prove I was still in one piece. He looked at me then glanced down at the ring, apparently still trying to comprehend exactly what I had just given him.

“Harry.” He final said softly. “I can’t thank you enough.” He wrapped me in a big bear head, nearly crushing my ribcage as he did. I grunted but hugged him back, pretending not to notice the tear in his eye. I pat him on the back after a minute and he pulled away. “Seriously, you have no idea what this means to me and Justine.” He bumped him fist against my chest and smiled before he started walking out of the room.

“Don’t mention it, but I expect to be the best man at your wedding.” I called after him. He reached back and gave me a thumbs up before leaving. I smiled to myself, more for his reactions and what it meant to him than anything.

No matter how many tools I make, cases I solve, or people I help, I will never get tired of that good feeling you get in your stomach when you do a good job.

I smiled wider as I left the Raith mansion and managed to hail a cab. A long ride later I ended up back at Molly’s place. Damn was I looking forward to a nice hot shower and relaxing on the couch. But sadly I had to wait a few minutes as the doorman to the apartment waved me down as I walked in.

“Mr.Dresden?” He asked, I glanced at him and raised my eyebrow as he called me out.

“Yes?” I asked, managing to keep the annoyed tone out of my voice. He lifted up a package before extending it toward me.

“Package came for you just a minute ago. We checked it out and it doesn’t seem dangerous.” He explained. Now that was odd, usually when people send me something it’s specifically meant to try and kill me. I took it and slowly opened it.

Inside was the latest model iPhone.

MY eyebrows shot to the top of my head in surprise. Now THAT was odd. See, magic and technology tend to not mix, the more advanced the tech the faster it tends to fry out around me. Smart phones or anything super advanced like that are usually the first thing to go. So you can understand my caution as I slowly pulled the phone out of the box. Underneath the box was the charger that usually comes with phones and a note with very elegant writing. I picked the note up and gently put the phone back in the box and read it.

“Harry, please accept this gift as a token of good faith between you and I. It is so much trouble to try and track you down when one has to deliver a message. Oh, and do not worry about your magical talents disrupting this phone or its charger either. My family and I have worked very hard to try and make our technologies magic proof when having to deal with wizards such as yourself. We can only lose so much technology. And as for when I set this up, well…a woman must keep some secrets to herself. Sincerely yours, Lara Raith. The letter read, with a little heart dotting the “I” in Raith.

Huh, I had no idea that Lara could be that cute and girly. Also damn that woman is sneaky and fast as she is sexy and beautiful.

I took the phone out of the box again and looked at the back. It had been engraved with a very intricate design that must have taken years to properly create. I could only imagine the think tank they must have put together to make sure all their equipment stayed wizard proof. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself as I looked over the phone. I nodded my thanks to the doorman as I turned away and started walking through the various doors to Molly’s apartment. I tucked the box under one arm as I made my way through the door.

“Welcome to the twenty first century Harry.” I said to myself as I turned the phone on and went inside.


	9. Chapter 9

Texting was a hard thing to grasp at first. I mean, why send someone a message they might not see for hours when you could just call them? But that was the first thing I did once I got the phone set how I like it. I sent a text to Molly, letting her know of my new gift. She called bullshit and threatened to call the cops on me. So I decided to send her my first ever selfie, not a real good picture but hey I was new to this whole cell phone thing. THAT got me an immediate phone call.

“Harry?” Molly shouted into my ear. “Did you just send me a selfie?”

“Yup, new phone. I figured I’d let you know.” I laughed, checking the phone every few seconds to make sure it wasn’t smoking.

“But, wizard, magic, technology, broken, how?” Molly asked confounded. I looked at the screen of the phone, hoping that the annoyed look on my face could be relayed through the phone.

“It was a gift from Lara. She says that it completely diffuses any magical energies directly around it. So far it actually works.” I explained.

“Oh, so now you have a sugar momma?” Molly laughed. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

“No it’s nothing like that. It was already here when I got back this morning.” I explained as I started walking around the apartment. Molly snickered into the phone, obviously trying to suppress a laugh.

“This morning?” So I guess you spend the night over at her place?” Molly chuckled again. “It’s about time Harry, I’m proud of you.”

“God Molls you sound like Thomas. I’m a grown man, I don’t need you or Thomas talking about my sex life.” I sighed, slightly concerned about how much everyone cared about my sex life.

“We were concerned. Honestly we thought that you had sworn off women for good. We were starting to think that the rumors about you being gay were true.” She teased and I could actually hear the playful smile in her voice. I grinned and decided to have a little fun with her.

“Well I can assure you that I am not gay at all. Heck, since I have a phone now I could show you exactly how straight I am. Give me a few minutes to get ready and I can send you one of those dick picks I’ve heard about on the T.V.” I heard a crash like a chair falling over and the phone sliding across the floor. I imagined Molly falling out of her chair then scurrying across the floor to get her phone.

“W-w-what?” Molly asked, breathing a little hard into the phone from her panicked reaction.

“Yea why not. Better get used to having a phone now. Who knows what I can do with this thing?” I joked, trying to keep the grin out of my voice.

“I…but…uh…but…Lara?” Molly stammered and I started laughing. Her nervousness disappeared instantly when she heard me laugh. “That’s not funny Harry.” She said sharply.

“Sorry Molls but I couldn’t help it. Now maybe you’ll lay off all the comments about my sex life.” I chuckled, calming down from laughing.

“Yea I’ll ease off. Sorry about it all. I’ve got to go now, I’ll see you when I get done here.” Molly said softly before disconnecting the line. I laughed to myself before plopping back down on the couch and continuing to mess with my new phone.

The next few days passed rather calmly. Molly did her Winter Court thing during the day and came back every night. Apparently Mab didn’t like working long hours unless it was absolutely necessary either. Molly and I would simply sit and talk about the days events, which sidhe tried to kill her that day, what I did that day, then we would go to bed. While Molly was away I tried to get a few cases to help pad my pockets, not that I was hurting for money anymore but the familiar feeling of being on a case made me feel like I was back to my old days as a detective. None of the cases were anything major, a missing ring here, somebody lost their pet, one family’s daughter ran away and I found her. Like I said nothing dangerous, just something to do to pass the time. The week passed by quickly and before I knew it, Friday rolled around pretty quickly. I had spent most of the day checking and re-checking my improved manacles to make sure I wouldn’t blow the film equipment or anyone’s phone that sat beside me. What was left of the day before movie time was spent getting cleaned up, making sure my beard was trimmed, I didn’t smell, standard things like that. Hey I’ll admit I was a bit nervous, Lara was a supernatural supermodel and that fact alone would make anyone nervous.

I picked through my closet after checking my facial hair for the third time, looking for something acceptable to wear but sadly I didn’t have any super fancy clothes. I settled on a plain black shirt with Iron Mans arc reactor on the chest and my standard pair of blue jeans. I had asked the doorman to call a cab for me and thankfully it was waiting for me out front when I left. The trip to the theater took a little longer than normal, adding to my already nervousness by making me think I was going to be late. Thanks big city traffic! When I finally go to the theater, I notice that there were two guys standing around someone near the preview posters. I paid the cabby what I owed and walked over to make sure the guys weren’t causing any trouble. Harry Dresden, detective, wizard, knight in shining armor at your service.

As I got closer I saw Lara leaning against the wall beside the Civil War Poster with her arms crossed under her breast. I noticed that she had gone with the same plain nerdy look that I had gone with. She was dressed in plain blue jeans as well and a navy blue shirt that simple had Captains shield stretched across her chest. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and pulled through the back of a blue baseball hat with the same logo. I chuckled very quietly as I walked up behind the two guys and listened.

“So tell us why you’re hanging around here by yourself beautiful? Why don’t you come with me and my friend here and let us show you a good time.” Generic pretty boy one asked with a grin.

“I’m pretty sure we could figure out something that the three of us could do together, or at least in turns.” Generic pretty boy two added.

Huh, its moments like these that makes me think my life is scripted like a bad movie or some kind of book series. Lara sighed quietly and took a look at each stereotype in turn.

“As I said before, I am waiting on my husband.” She said crossly, tapping her ring finger on her, drawing attention to the silver band on her finger. I grinned to myself as i took a step closer, silently giving Lara a knowing wink.

“Husband? What kind of husband would meet his wife to a dorky movie like this?” Stereotype one asked.

“I bet he’s some small skinny dork with too much money.” Stereotype two laughed.

“Hey honey, sorry I’m late, traffic is absolutely garbage here.” I sighed. Both guys spun around to face me and found themselves staring at my chest or a minute before looking up at me, “And just so you know, I prefer the term nerd, dork is a hurtful term.” I leaned down at them and grinned at each one of them in turn. “Run.” I whispered and they took off. Lara started laughing pretty hard as they ran through the crowd. She actually doubled over, holding her sides from laughter until they were out of sight. It took her a minute to regain her composure after they were gone but she did it, standing back up and wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Thank you for helping me Stark, but this doesn’t change anything.” Lara grinned up at me. I returned her smile with a chuckle.

“I agree, but I’m not going to stand around and let those jerks harass you. They’re just after your shield.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her and grinned. She laughed again and smiled knowingly at me.

“Well they can’t have it, it’s mine. But you can play with it sometimes.” She grinned.

“And now this has gotten creepy.” I laughed with her and smiled. “Shall we go honey? I said sarcastically and offered my arm. I watched her eyes sparkle as she took my arm and nodded.

“Yes we shall dear.” She chuckled as we walked inside.

The movie was absolutely amazing. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and the handful of times I managed to tear away from the screen to check on Lara, apparently she was too. The special effects were amazing and the action was perfect. Leave it to Marvel for making an amazing movie. Lara and I filed out of the theater after everyone else with big smiles on our faces.

“That was amazing, easily one of the best movies of the year.” I said as we walked through the lobby. “I have to get out and see more movies.” Lara chuckled as she slipped her arm through mine as we walked.

“I agree it was an amazing movie.” Lara said as we walked outside. “And that Robert Downey Jr. still looks good.” I looked down at Lara suspiciously. She looked up at me and grinned. “What? I’m on your arm aren’t I?” She grinned wider. My face turned a bit red as I quickly faced forward.

“This is true.” I said quietly as we kept walking. A few minutes passed as we walked down the streets, simply enjoying the sights of the city and enjoying each other’s company. “You hungry?” I asked. Lara looked up at my and grinned.

“I could go for a bit to eat. Maybe I could get a tall glass of wizard.” Lara grinned wider, her eyes sparkling. I rolled my eyes and nudged her playfully despite my blush.

“I meant human food, not me.” I jerked my thumb at the Burger King across the street. “Shall we eat like royalty?” Lara looked at the restaurant before looking back to me.

“honestly I’ve never had their food before.” Lara admitted. My legs wobbled a bit, forcing me to take a step back to steady myself an look at her with mock horror on my face.

“What?” I said a bit louder than I should have. “How is that even possible?” I stared at her in surprise. She blushed a bit in embarrassment and stared at me.

“Harry I’ve lived a rich girls life. I only got to go out and experience things like this on occasion. Everything else was either prepared by chiefs or…brought to me.” She said, choosing her words very carefully. I stared back and suddenly felt very sorry for her.

Lara had never really got to live life like a normal person. Sure she got to see the world and do amazing things but most of her life was directed by her hunger. Especially if you’re a near immortal vampire, it must be horrible not being able to connect with other people that you didn’t plan to kill. She had never gotten a chance to experience the simple things like being with people who truly care about you. Sure there were some of the other vampires that look out for each other but they’ll stab you in the back at the first chance they get. I honestly doubt I would be here without the people I had standing behind me during my life.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. I felt her hesitate for a second before hugging me back. We stood there for a minute, simply embracing each other. I pulled away from the hug and looked down at her.

“I’m sorry, I never even considered that.” I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “But I’m here now Lara, and I’ll show you all about being human. Trust me it’s more fun than it looks.” I smiled and winked playfully at her. A smile touched the corners of her lips.

“Being human huh? Now that exactly might that entail?” She asked, the smile spreading across her face.

“Well for starters it means trying fast food.” I grinned as I took her head and lead her toward the King. “Then I’m going to show you what it’s like to just hang out with friends, meeting people that don’t want to kill you, going places just for the hell of it, laughing, having actual friends, having-“

“A family?” Lara asked so softly I almost didn’t hear her. My feet suddenly stopped moving like I had grown a pair of concrete shoes. I slowly turned to face her, a bit stunned at her words.

Time seemed to slow down as we stood there staring at each other as we stood there staring at each other in the crowd. An eternity passed before I smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“Yea, even a normal human family. Two kids, white picket fence, little dog in the front yard, the whole nine yards.” I grinned as we started walking again. Her beautiful smile returned to her face as we walked inside.

“I can’t help that you just described the Carpenter house. Is that the kind of life you want one day?” Lara asked softly. My eyes were staring at the menu but my mind wasn’t focusing on it.

Honestly I had never given that any series through. I had always assumed that my life would take a terrible turn and I’d never get to settle down and enjoy life like normal people. I guess if I ever got the chance to that would be what I want.

“Yea I guess so, but with the way my life is, my white picket fence would have to be made of steel and barbed wire.” I chuckled softly but my heart wasn’t really in it. Lara glanced at me before turning her attention to the menu.

“You can’t be a super man forever Harry. One day you’re going to have to step back and let someone else don the cape.” Lara whispered, lacing her fingers in mine. “Even immortals fall.”

I stood there quietly for a second before we got out turn to order. I had never even considered an end game. I was just always the guy that showed up when shit hit the fan and clean up after the things that tried to kill everybody. Now I’m not saying I didn’t fear death, anybody that didn’t fear death was either stupid, insane, or some combination of both. I just assumed that if I died while I was fighting some bad guy then it wouldn’t be such a bad way to go. It never even crossed my mind that I could live out the rest of my life peacefully. I kept mulling over that thought as we got our food and grabbed our seats.

“I suppose you’re right.” I said as I handed Lara her burger. She eyed it suspiciously before turning her gaze back to me. “I’m not going to live forever. The best thing to do would be to pass my cape off to somebody else when the time comes, settle down, and start a family. But until that time comes, I’m going to keep fighting to protect my city. However, until the next big baddie comes around, I have a burger to eat, and so do you.” I smiled as I held mine up in a mock toast before taking a bite. Lara watched me briefly before unwrapping hers and taking a bite. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise before looking up at me.

“This is surprisingly good.” Lara said, covering her mouth with her hand. I laughed and watched her enjoy her burger before eating mine. It didn’t take long before our food was gone and we were casually sipping our drinks.

“So tell me Lara.” I said, leaning forward in my seat a bit. “Why the interest in a family? Don’t you have a pretty big family back at that castle you call a house?” I smirked. She scoffed a bit but returned my smirk.

“I have a family in the same way that you have allies in the Winter Court. Several of my kind share my blood but we have never shared an actual meal together. We have shared…food, but never a meal like you have with others. I don’t even think I have had a normal conversation with any of the, except Thomas. I guess you could consider him my only true family member. I don’t even think I’ve had a normal conversation with Natalie or Elisa.” She sighed and looked out the window as she sipped her drink. “I guess that’s why I enjoy my time with you so much. I can have a conversation with you about who knows what without my Hunger getting in the way.” She turned her attention back to me and smiled. I smiled back at her, trying to figure about what to say.

“I’m sorry that you haven’t gotten that chance to connect with another person. And it’s been awhile since I’ve connected with someone like I have with you.” I smiled wider at her.

“Connected in more ways than one.” Lara winked at me. I smirked and shook my head, managing to keep my blush to a minimum.

“Yea I guess so.” I chuckled softly. “Hey I just thought of something.” I said suddenly as I leaned forward. Lara arched an eyebrow and her devilish grin appeared on her lips.

“Oh? And what exactly did you think of when I said connected?” Her grin widened. My blush darkened by a few shades as I shook my head.

Damn seductress and her clever perverted brain. I’ve known thirteen year olds who didn’t make as many sex jokes.

“No, no not like that.” I waved my hand dismissively. “Michael invited me over for enchilada night Wednesday after church. I thought maybe I could give him a call and see if her would min if I brought a guest.” I smiled at her. I watched her smile try to reach her eats at the thought.

“That would be lovely.” Lara nodded, the excitement in her voice almost visible.

“Oh! And speaking of giving him a call, I wanted to thank you for the phone.” I smiled and pulled it out of my pocket, showing her that it still works. She laughed, her beautiful voice filling the air, drawing a few glances from passersby’s. I rubbed my neck a bit in embarrassment and nodded at some of the people that were staring at us.

“I’m sorry. I did not mean to laugh at you. It’s just your smile was priceless.” She smiled innocently at me. “But I’m glad that you enjoy it.” She held her hand out, silently asking to look at my phone. I handed it over and watched her examine it, looking over the engravings on the back and the rest of the phone. Her thumb pressed the button at the bottom of the phone to test if it was working properly and the Spiderman logo appeared on the screen. Her eyebrow arched as she looked at me questionably.

“What? New phone, didn’t have anything interesting to put as my wallpaper.” I shrugged. Lara smiled as she shook her head and rose.

“You really are a dork.” She said playfully before throwing her trash away. “Come.” She held her free hand out, keeping my phone in her hand. I glanced at her other hand briefly before placing my hand in hers and rising. We walked back outside and toward the theater, weaving our way through the crowd. She smiled at me as we made our way back to the theater and stood in front of the Civil War poster.

“I have a better idea for your picture. Come here.” Her smile pulled me close beside her. She pulled the camera up and pointed it at herself. I felt her tug me closer so my face was close to hers. She angled the camera to get me, her, and the poster in the same shot. “Say cheese.” She giggled. I chuckled and smiled for the camera. Just before she hit the button, she turned and kissed my cheek. I blushed a bit but smiled wider as she handed my phone back to me. I looked and saw she had changed the background to the picture she just took.

“You’re right, much better.” I agreed as she watched. I looked at her and leaned in to plan a soft kiss on her face. She squeaked in surprise at first but closed her eyes and gently kissed me back. The world dissolved around us as our lips connected. My hand reached up and gently caressed her cheek as she leaned into me. Only seconds passed by before I pulled away from the kiss. A soft groan of protest came from Lara as I did and I watched as her eyes fluttered open. Her beautiful grey eyes had glazed over a bit as she gave me a satisfied smile as she looked up at me.

“I’ve been waiting on you to do that all night long. Lara purred softly. She had placed a hand on my chest at some point during the kiss. I looked down and grinned at her hand before she leaned up and kissed me.

“So have I.” I mumbled against her lips. I felt her lips curl into a smile before she pulled away.

“Sadly, as much as I would love to continue this, I must take my leave.” Lara sighed as she looked as me sadly. “I have normal White Court business to take care of.” Her hand gently grabbed my shirt just as the limo pulled up beside us. “If only I could forget this business and come back with you.” She stuck her bottom lip out and pouted at me. I tried to hold in a laugh but that look could have put an entire internets worth of kitten videos to shame it was so cute.

“I wish you could too.” I admitted as I leaned down and kissed her again. She purred softly but smiled at me as I pulled away. The driver got out and opened the door for her. She looked at the man and sighed softly before walking to the limo. I watched as she sat down in the limo and give me a small wave and another smile. “I’ll send you something later.” She winked before the door shut. I watched the limo pull away and disappear into a sea of cars. I waited a few more moments before turning away and trying to hail a cab.

The ride back home was smooth as far as I noticed. Honestly I wasn’t paying attention to the ride at all. My focus was on my phone and the picture Lara had taken. A smile was plastered on my face the entire ride home. I tipped the cabbie a few extra bucks before making my way through the heavy security Molly’s apartment. I got in and found Molly curled up on the couch, reading a book by the light of the fireplace. She glanced up at me and smiled.

“Hey boss. Judging from the size of your smile your date went pretty well.” Molly grinned as she closed her book and sat up straight. Apparently she had just gotten out of the shower because her white hair was clung to her head. I put my duster on the coat rack and grinned at her, taking not that she was dressed in only an old t-shirt and a pair of panties.

“Yea it went great.” I said as I hung my key up on the key ring beside the door and headed to the bathroom. “Let me shower and I’ll tell you all about it.” I headed into the bathroom and took a quick shower, changed and came back to the living room, dressed in my sleep pants and t-shirt. Thankfully Molly decided to put pants on as well. Not that I’m not loyal but it’s hard for anybody to focus when you have a half dressed woman sitting beside you.

“So tell me all about it.” Molly smiled as I plopped down on the couch beside her. I told her about the entire date. I told her all about the move, well everything I could that wasn’t considered a spoiler. “I don’t carry about the movie…right now. I want to know the juicy details about your date.” Molly grinned.

“Nothing juicy happened. We saw the movie, walked a little, had dinner, she took a picture on my phone then had to leave. No big deal.” I lied. Tonight had been one of the most fun nights I’ve had in a while.

“Oooooo let me see the picture.” Molly beamed. I chuckled as I unlocked my phone and handed it to her. She looked at the picture and smiled. “Aww it’s so cute.” She giggled. Almost instantly, her face sobered up and her cheeks turned bright red. “Y-you have a text message.” Molly stammered as she handed my phone back to me. I arched my eyebrow at her questionably as I took my phone back. My other eyebrow joined the first one and they decided to climb my forehead together.

Lara had sent me a picture that I did NOT want my roommate seeing. Apparently the meeting had ended much earlier than she had originally expected, giving her enough time to shower before sending me the picture. She was standing in her bathroom, her long black hair shining and clinging to her face, framing her seductive devilish smile perfectly. And on top of that sexy smile, she was dressed in only a bright red lace bra and matching pair of panties. My face turned as red as her outfit and my eyes threatened to jump out of my head. It took me a minute before I noticed the message below the picture.

“I told you I’d send you something later. I just thought it would come later tonight. I hope you enjoy.” Followed by a semi colon and a bracket symbol. It took my technologically challenged brain a minute to realize it was a winking face. I quietly locked the phone and put it back in my pocket. Molly’s face was still bright red, closely watching my phone as it went into my pocket.

“That was…a very nice photo.” Molly blushed more. “Even without the Hunger she can draw the eyes pretty damn well.” She said softly as she stared at her toes. I cleared my throat, trying to calm my embarrassment.

“Yea. That she can.” I started smiling. I thought how lucky I was to have a beautiful woman as my girlfriend. A chuckle escaped me and molly looked at me questionably.

“I don’t think I want to know what that laugh was about.” She laughed as she got up. “Night Harry.” Molly said, leaning over to give me a quick hug before going to her room. I sat there for a second, lost in thought as I stared at the fire. I got up and headed to my own room after a while of just staring into the flames. As I laid there staring at the ceiling, my mind went back to the last two times I spent with Lara. I was honestly shocked at everything that had happened between us. I never saw Lara as anything but someone who would assist me when the mood stuck her. But now things were changing between us in things that I had never thought of. I grabbed my phone and flipped between the two pictures before the soft glow of the phone put me to sleep with my phone still in hand.

For the first night in a long time. I dreamt peacefully.


	10. Chapter 10

I woke up the next morning with a sidhe cat sitting on the edge of my bed, staring me in the face. My brain took a second to realize that I was awake, but when it eventually did, I let out a very unmanly scream. I threw the cat off of me and jumped out of bed at the same time I started to gather my will. Just as I was about to start throwing magic around, somebody grabbed my wrist. My head snapped around to find Mab standing beside my door with a Way opened against one wall. She stood there dressed in an ice blue dress, staring down at me with her terrifying green cat eyes. Cold hair spilled into my room, causing Mab’s snow white hair to whip around her face in true ice queen fashion.

“Realx my night, there is no need for alarm. I have come to request your services.” Mab said quietly before releasing my wrist. I waited for a second for my heart to calm down before nodding.

“Fine, what do you need?” I asked as I got to my feet. Before she could say anything, Molly burst into the room, dressed in only the shirt from the previous night, hands held high ready to sling magic around. Mab and I turned to faced her and I quickly threw my hands up. “Molly relax its Mab!” I said loudly. Molly froze and stared at me and Mab in turn before lowering her hands and taking a deep breath.

“Perfect, I needed both of you.” Mab said before turning her attention back to me. “I will explain the situation once we arrive.” I sighed but nodded, used to the normal sidhe way of doing things by now.

“Okay I get it, but do you mind if I get dressed first?” I glanced at Molly for a second. “Actually make that both of us.” Molly glanced down at her legs and blushed as she tugged the shirt down a bit. Mab took notice and nodded.

“Of course, but dress lightly. Our meeting is with the queens of Summer.” Mab said as she stepped through the Way. I stared at her in shock before turning to Molly.

“Did she say Summer? She does know that Titania doesn’t exactly like me right?” I asked Molly. She nodded before turning away from me.

“She does, but from what she has told me, it is going to need both of us working together to solve this problem.” Molly explained before leaving my room and going back to hers. I stood there for a second, trying to figure out what either of them could mean. I decided to just wait for a few minutes and get the whole story before getting dressed. I stepped into my favorite pair of kakis and grabbed another one of my favorite comic book inspired shirts. I quickly walked out and grabbed my duster before stepping back into my room. Just before stepping through the portal, I stopped and walked back over to my phone. I sent Lara a quick message explaining where I was going before setting it back on my nightstand. I figured the Nevernever wouldn’t have very good cell coverage anyway.

I stepped through the opening in the air and started walking up the familiar path of Artics Tor. Molly joined me shortly after, dressed in a white business suit, and opened another Way to an open field of daisies. The two of us walked through and found Sarissa and Fix waiting for us on the other side.

“Nice to meet you again Harry.” Fix smiled.

“Nice to see you too Fix. How’s things.” I nodded as we shook hands. He smirked and shrugged.

“Same shit, different day.” I laughed at that and shook my head. “How about you Harry?” I shrugged and smiled.

“Things are going well. Very well.” I smiled.

“Oh am I not worthy of a greeting?” Sarissa grinned. I looked at her and smirked.

“Oh I am very sorry my queen. I offer my sincerest apologies at not greeting you. How are you this morning?” I bowed deeply, trying to hold back a laugh. She giggled as I stood and walked over to hug me.

“You’re still same smartass I used to know. Glad to see you haven’t changed.” She smiled up at me as she stepped back. I returned her smile and nodded.

“Nothing is ever going to prevent me from being a smartass.” I laughed. Fix shook his head but smiled at me as the three of us talked for a second. As we talked, a Way opened up behind us and Mab and Titania stepped through. Fix bowed at the queens and I simply stood there. Titania regarded me with extreme distaste as I stood there.

“Dresden, Molly, it is…nice to see you again.” She said carefully as she turned away from us. “Come, we have much to discuss.” Titania said as she turned and started leading us across the field with Mab right beside her. Molly fell in step beside Sarissa as Fix and I took up the rear. We followed the two Queens further into the field. Eventually we made our way to a clear ring in the flowers. Titania waved a hand and a wodden table grew out of the ground, along with six chairs.

“Please sit.” Titania waves at the table before sitting at the table herself. We sat down at the table and started discussing what was wrong.

From what the queens told us, there were a few rebel groups popping up around the Nevernever that were against my ideas of peace between the courts and other supernatural groups. I was surprised to hear that this was an actual thing happening in more places that just Chicago. Once they heard that, I explained the attack at the Sundial several days ago. That drew an angry look from Mab but nothing more. Fix surprised me by telling everyone about a similar situation he had at a bar with a group of saytars. I choked back a chuckle as I imagined Fix trying to fight two dancing saytars.

“It would seem that whoever is behind this is targeting our knights to start with.” Titania explained as she leaned forward in her seat.

“I believe so.” Mab nodded. “It is a good thing that our knights are capable.” Mab smiled at me. I returned her smile and nodded the back of my neck.

“I agree.” Sarissa smiled at me and Fix, a tiny sparkle in her eyes. I felt a tiny blush touch my cheeks. Poor Fix’s face was bright red as he stared at the table, smiling from ear to ear. Titania nodded in agreement and Molly smiled as we continued with the meeting. Hours passed before everyone settled on a course of action. The Queens had decided to keep watch over their respective lands and crush any rebellion force before it gained any momentum. The ladies would keep a watch on the mortal world and tell us knights where to go when the time was right. Which was just tine to me, I enjoyed being on call, it meant I got to do what I want until I was needed. The six of us nodded in agreement before standing up to leave. We all exchanged farewells, Titania nodding at Molly and me while Sarissa gave me a hug. I hugged her back before Molly and I took our leave back to Chicago.

Apparently time moved much faster in Summerland than the mortal world because I found out that it was Tuesday night when we got back. One day in the Nevernever apparently equaled two in the human world. I went back to my room to find Lara had tried to call me a time or two. I quickly grabbed my phone and called her back.

“Harry, so glad you could get in touch.” Lara answered on the first ring, easily trying to keep the mild annoyance out of her voice.

“Hey Lara, sorry about not answering, there’s no service at all in the Summer Court.” I apologized.

“It’s understandable. I was trying to make sure that our plans for tomorrow were still on.” She asked playfully.

“Yea they are, I just have to give Michael a call.” I explained. I noticed she sounded much more businesslike than usual. It hit me a second later that she must be around others.

“Sounds good, please let me know as soon as possible.” The line disconnected. I listened to the beep of the phone before hanging up myself. Just as I was pulling up Michael’s number, Lara messaged me.

“Sorry for being so cold, in a meeting.” The message read, followed with a frowning face. I smiled and replied it was all good before calling Michael.

“Carpenter residence, Michael speaking.” Michael answered on the third ring.

“Hey Michael, its Harry.” I smiled to myself. Even over the phone you could feel Michael’s happy aura.

“Hey Harry, how are you?” You could actually feel his smile through the phone. “Everything ok? You’re still coming over tomorrow right?”

“Yea everything’s great and that’s actually what I called to ask you about.” I explained.

“Oh? I hope you’re not calling to bail on us.” He asked jokingly. I smirked to myself and shook my head.

“No nothing like that, I just wanted to make sure it was okay to bring someone with me.” I asked.

“Who is it? Thomas? Of course he’s welcome.” Michael responded.

“It’s not Thomas, it’s his sister Lara.” Silence came over the line and I could imagine Michael standing in his kitchen looking stunned.

“Lara Raith? Isn’t she trying to kill you?” Michael asked, concern in his voice.

“Not anymore, we’re actually…dating now.” I grimaced a bit and scratched the back of the head. More silence filled the air.

“You’re dating Lara Raith, one of the strongest White Court vampires ever? Is your head okay Harry?” Michael asked slowly.

“Not anymore. Wait, I mean the vampire thing, not the head part. My head is fine. She’s not exactly a vampire anymore.” I explained the whole situation with the ring to Michel.

“Ah I see.” Michael said after I finished explaining. “If you’re going to vouch for her then she’s welcome in my home. But if she tries anything that might harm my family…” He let the threat hang in the air. I knew Michael well enough that when it came to his family, he would fight the devil himself, which actually could be a very real possibility considering his second job. I shook my head and smiled despite the threat.

“Don’t worry, she wouldn’t do anything like that. I promise you she won’t hurt anyone.” Michael stayed silent for a moment before the smile came back to his voice.

“Good, then she’s more that welcome to come. Make sure you warn her about Charity’s cooking.” Michael laughed and I heard something slap him. “Ow, I’m just kidding love.” Michael apologized to his wife. I laughed and smiled to myself.

“Thanks Michael, tell Charity I’m looking forward to it and I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” I said before disconnecting the line. I tossed my phone on the bed and went to go take a quick shower. When I got back I text Lara the details of tomorrow. She quickly replied an okay before I even got the chance to put the phone down. I told her I’d pick her up tomorrow around six before putting the phone down. I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for a while before my thoughts drifted to the rebels and how they’re trying to stop everything. Eventually I stopped worrying about it and my mind drifted back to Lara. I wondered if she would feel awkward around all the kids. Hell how would she feel around Maggie? It never even occurred to me how my daughter would react to Lara. What if she didn’t like her? I closed my eyes and tried to push all my worried away, taking a deep breath as I did. Relax Harry, there’s no need to worry yourself.

Apparently I’m good at taking my own advice and relaxed myself into a deep sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie meets Lara for the first time and Lara gets the first true experience of a loving family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter i was really focused on. I would really appreciate your thoughts if you like the chapter.

I woke up the next morning, well rested and ready for whatever happened during the day. I hoped in a quick shower then sat with Molly for a quick breakfast before heading out into the city. Since I had no plans at all till later in the day, I decided to visit Thomas’ shop. I looked through the window as I walked down the sidewalk In front of the salon. I spotted Thomas in his usual spot, laughing and smiling as he washed a woman’s hair. A smile spread on my face as I walked inside, and suddenly the entire staff starting clapping.

Huh, I did not see that coming.

Thomas took notice of the clapping and looked up from his work, all the color draining out of his face. He whispered something to the woman he was working on and started walking toward me quickly.

“Harry!” He pronounced it Ha-Re as he hugged me. The people around us awed at the hug. Shit I forgot that the people that came to Thomas shop thought I was gay. Double shit, they also thought I was his lover. “What the hell are you doing here?” Thomas whispered so quietly that only I could hear it.

“Just wanted to drop in and say hi.” I smirked as I gave him a brotherly hug back. He pulled away and frowned at me for a second before a smile spread across his face.

“Well I’m glad you did. I wanted to give you a proper thanks for this.” He held up his hand and wiggled his ring finger, drawing my attention to the silver ring he wore. That got another set of “ooos” from the people around us and made Thomas roll his eyes. “No, no everybody not like that.” He said in his fake accent. “We broke up ages ago.” They booed at that. Damn I swear this is turning out to be a soap opera. “But thanks to Harry here, he let me be with my true love.” He grinned at me as the crowd clapped again. They might have taken it a different way but I knew what he really meant. Let them think I was some sort of gay cupid. As long as I knew the truth, it didn’t really matter.

“Anytime man.” I smiled back at him. “I’d stick around more but I’ve got to get cleaned up. I’ve got a few things to do before I go to Micahel’s house.” The crowd wooed and I sighed. “Not like that.” I grumbled as I walked back out the door.

I killed as much time as I could, walking from store to store for a little bit before making my way to a car rental store. I managed to get an older truck and make my way back to the apartment around five o’clock. I cleaned myself up again and made my way to Chateau Raith. Apparently Lara had made sure that the staff knew who I was. The guard at the gate waved me in without so much as a question. Guess it seems I’m officially welcome around here. I drove up the long driveway and stopped in front of the door. I was super nervous as I approached the door, and rang the bell. Easy Harry, things were going to be just fine.

The door opened a few seconds later and the butler waved me in. I nodded my thanks and stood in the foyer as I waited. I reached to play with the manacles I had wrapped around my wrist to try and ease my nerves. Damn it Harry just calm down. Thankfully Lara came down shortly after I walked in, dressed simply jeans and a plain white shirt. I smiled at her as she walked down the stairs.

“Hello Lara, you look lovely today.” I stepped in to give her a hug but felt her place her hand on my chest and gently pushed against me. I looked down at her questionably before glancing at her hand and noticing that the ring was gone.

Ah, she was still in business mode. Got it.

I nodded at her before stepping back from her. She nodded her thanks as she turned her attention to the butler.

“Let everyone know that I will be back late. If anyone needs me, call someone else.” She grinned at the butler as he held open the door.

“Yes ma’am.” The butler nodded as we walked out. As soon as the door shut behind us, Lara let out a sigh of relief. “Empty night. It’s so much more difficult to keep up that act now. She gave me a wicked smile as she took the ring out of her pocket and quickly put it on. A brief flash of light came from the ring then Lara was back as her human self.

“Well you have gotten a taste of life as a human now so I can only imagine keeping up the cold blooded vampire act is a bit harder now. By the way you look lov-“ I started to say before I felt Lara’s lips on mine. My eyes opened in surprise for a brief instant before the closed and I kissed her back. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she kissed me. A minute passed before she pulled away and smiled at me, her beautiful eyes sparkling. “-ly.” I finished, smiling ear to ear.

“Oh I bet you say that to all the vampire women you meet.” She grinned as she unwrapped her arms from my neck.

“Only the ones that look like you.” I winked as she slide her hand into mine. She laughed and rolled her eyes as we started toward the car.

“New car?” She asked as I opened her door.

“Yea I figured it can’t be real fun running around in a taxi all the time.” She climbed in and I shut the door behind her.

“We could take the limo.” Lara suggested after I climbed into the driver side.

“Nah, besides I’ve got to get something to drive since the blue beetles passing.” I frowned a bit at the memory of my faithful car’s passing. Lara pat my arm and smiled at me.

“Well this truck fits you. Literally and symbolically.” She grinned and I chuckled at her as I started the car. Somehow the forces that be decided that I should have a break today when it came to the evils of traffic and the drive to Michaels was very short. We pulled into the driveway and I climbed out to open her door.

Who says chivalry’s dead?

Lara climbed out of the truck, her eyes never leaving the house.

“It looks like a house from Better Homes and Gardens.” Lara said, sliding her hand into mine. I laughed loudly as I lead her across the lawn to the front door.

“I’m pretty sure that they took the inspiration from this house.” I laughed again. I stopped a few feet from the door and leaned to ring the doorbell. Lara looked at me questionably, glancing from the door to me repeatedly.

“Harry? What’s wrong?” Lara asked quietly.

“Nothing, just waiting for the charge.” I answered as I let go of her hand.

“The what?”

“Uncle Harry!” Two little voices shouted from inside the house.

“That.” I grinned as I took a few step back, pulling Lara with me. Four little kids ran out the door, followed by three grown figures. The little ones tackled my legs, trying to knock me down but I managed to hold my ground against the assault. I reached down and picked up the two smallest and let out a roar of triumph. All three of them squealed in delight before Hope ran back inside, followed by Alicia, and Amanda. I laughed and let little Harry down, watching as he ran back inside with Matthew before wrapping my other arm around Maggie in a big hug. She giggled and wrapped her little arms around my neck and squeezed.

“Daddy! You’re here!” Maggie said happily. I laughed and hugged her a bit more.

“I told you I would hobbit.” I smiled as she pulled away. I smiled as I gave her a kiss on her cheek which made her giggle. She gave me another big hug before she took notice of Lara. Her little head leaned back as she stared blankly at her.

“Hi.” Maggie said carefully.

“Hi.” Lara responded quietly.

“I’m Maggie. Who are you?” Maggie asked bluntly.

“I’m Lara.” Lara tried to smile as gently as she could, the nervousness and uncomfortable feelings she had obvious on her face.

“You’re very pretty.” Lara blushed at that and I tried to suppress a smile.

“Thank you.” Lara said, a smile touching the corners of her lips. “You’re very pretty too.” Maggie giggled and smiled.

“Thank you.” Her smile slowly faded as she looked from Lara to me and back to Lara. “Are you with my daddy?” She asked innocently. Lara’s chees turned a shade of pink and I grinned. A minute passed before Lara nodded her head slowly.

“Yes I am.’’ Lara smiled as she fidgeted with her fingers. I smiled and reached out to take her hand in mine comfortingly. She squeezed it appreciatively.

“Okay.” Maggie said as she glanced down at our hands. “But he’s my daddy first. So you can’t take him.” She squeezed my neck in another hug as she gave Lara the meanest look she could, which coming from her wasn’t as scary as it was adorable. I had to bite my bottom lip to keep myself from laughing. “But we can share.” Maggie said softly. I turned my head away and started shaking a bit from trying to hold in my laughter. Lara let go of my hand and slapped my arm gently.

“Don’t worry sweetie, I won’t take him from you.” Lara said gently as she smiled at Maggie. Maggie eyed Lara for a few more seconds before she nodded. Apparently satisfied with that answer as she let go of my neck. I let her down gently as she took my other hand.

“Come on daddy, dinner’s ready.” She said a she tugged me toward the door. Lara came up beside me and leaning in close to me.

“That’s wasn’t funny.” Lara whispered in my ear.

“It was adorable.” I grinned and quickly turned my head to kiss Lara’s cheek. She blushed softly but smiled as we walked inside. Alicia and Amanda were sitting on the couch, their attention focused entirely on their phones. I was suddenly very glad I decided to put on my magic suppressing manacles before leaving the house. Matthew was sitting on the recliner, focused on the open college text book opened on his lap. “Stars and stones Michael, what are you feeding these kids?” Matthew was the only one who looked up but a smile appeared on all three of their faces.

“There is it!” I heard Michael call out from the kitchen. He walked out a minute later and smiled at me. “The first dad joke. Looks like you’re right Charity, it happened sooner that I thought.” He called over his shoulder before grasping my outstretched hand and giving me a hug.

“What do you mean first dad joke? All of my jokes are dad jokes. It’s been that way since I was a kid. It’s just my sense of humor.” I grinned at him. He simply shook his head and smiled at me.

“I guess that’s true.” Michael nodded as he turned his attention to Lara. “As his friend, I feel the need to apologize on his behalf.” Lara smiled and shook her head.

“Oh it’s quite alright. I’m well aware of his special kind of humor.” Lara chuckled as Charity came out of the kitchen.

“Oh Charity, I don’t think I’ve introduced you two. Charity this is Lara, Lara this is Michael’s wife Charity.” I introduced the two.

“Thank you Harry, I don’t think I could have figured that out without your brilliant detective skills.” Lara grinned as she shook Charity’s hand. Michael choked back a laugh and I place a hand on my chest, faking being offended. Charity chuckled as she leaned against Michael gently, being careful of his crutch.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Lara. Glad someone has come along that can put Harry’s smart mouth in its place.” She smiled. “I hope you’re hungry Lara.”

“Starving.” Lara smiled as we all walked to the dinner table.

Now I want you to imagine the best enchiladas you’ve ever had. Now multiply that by about ten. Then add three and you’re pretty close to the level of deliciousness that Charity puts into all of her cooking, especially her enchiladas. I’ve seen this woman make everything from chain mail to clothes for the kids but nothing came close to her culinary powers. I swear if I didn’t know the woman I would swear she was a foodomancer.

Aside from the amazing food, the rest of the dinner was great. Charity and Lara quickly took to each other and talked like old friends while Michael and I caught up on life and his carpentry business. I asked Alicia and Amanda how school was going but neither of them wanted to talk much about it. Matthew, however, was happy to share. At some point in Matthew’s story about how they decided to prank their professor one day, Lara had reached over and grabbed my hand under the table. I glanced at it briefly before looking at her. She was smiling ear to ear, still wrapped up in her conversation with Charity. Now she had smiled several times before but somehow this was different but it made my heart soar. She was having fun just being around people that didn’t want to hurt her or blackmail her.

And she was having the time of her life.

After everything had been cleaned up, Michael and I retired to the front porch with a couple of Mac’s famous microbrews. We sat in the rocking chairs Michael had made himself, watching the little ones play in the yard. Charity and Lara had stayed inside with Alicia and Amanda and talking away. Michael and I sat there in silence for a while, simply watching the kids and sipping our beers.

“She seems happier.” Michael said after our silence. I glanced at him sidewise as I sipped my beer.

“What do you mean?” I asked, watching Maggie hid behind Michaels truck while little Harry counted.

“She just seems genuinely happier. Like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders and she can relax. Before she had that…thing in her that always made her scary and threatening. Now she seems human.” He turned to look at me. “And you look a lot happier too.” I smirked as I stared at my half empty beer bottle.

“Yea…I am. It’s been awhile since I’ve had anyone to spend time with on a more intimate level since-“ I stopped myself and choked down my sorrow. “-since Karrin.” I sighed and stared at my beer harder. Michael watching me silently as I wrestled with my thoughts. I took a swig of my beer before sighing again. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to you about all the horrors I have to face. Don’t get me wrong, you’re a great friend that I can talk to but I don’t want to trouble you by talking about it all the time. Lara knows exactly what I’ve been through and she’s been through the same kind of thing. Hell she understands how scary some of these things are and the nightmares that come with them. Again you’re a great friend but you can’t exactly comfort me at three am when I wake up from a nightmare.” I grinned and Michael just stared at me, listening like the good friend he is. After a minute he reached over and pat my leg.

“As long as you’re happy and sure of it, then that’s all that matters.” He smiled at me but didn’t say anything more, which I appreciated immensely. He was probably the sole person who knew how much my breakup with Karrin hurt. I had wanted it to work, I truly did, but I was scared for her safety. I had started keeping things from her again, trying to protect her, but she didn’t like it one bit. Karrin knew who I worked for, what I did, and what she was capable of. But she stayed by my side, back straight and gaze fixed on the horizon, ready to face whatever came at us, together. But she could only stay beside me for so long when I was keeping things from her. Eventually the secrets I kept pushed her away from me. I regretted it immensely, but I loved her too much to see her get hurt because of me.

Silence settled over us again, the only noise coming from the kids in the yard and the squeak of the chairs as we rocked. After a few minutes of silence, Lara stepped outside, a smile on her face and her eyes a little red from laughing so hard. I stood up and smiled at her as she shut the door behind her.

“Having fun?” I smiled, out of the corner of my eye I saw Charity, Amanda, and Alicia motioning for Michael to come inside. Michael nodded subtly at them before grabbing his cane and pulling himself out of his chair.

“Excuse me, but the missus is summoning me.” He grinned as he walked past us, patting my shoulder gently. The motion simple but spoke volumes to me. I nodded in appreciation before watching him disappear inside, leaving Lara and I alone on the porch.

“I haven’t laughed like that in a very long time.” Lara said as she leaned over the railing of the porch. I walked over and stood beside her, watching the kids play in the yard.

“I can tell, your eyes are red.” I grinned at her. She looked me and matched my smile. I took the chance to lean down and kiss her lips quickly. A soft squeak of surprise escaped her before she playfully smacked my arm. I laughed and rubbed my arm jokingly before she leaned her head against my shoulder. We stayed like that for a minute, simply enjoying the silence and each other’s presence.

“This is nice. “ Lara said softly. She sighed happily as she rubbed her cheek on my arm. “It’s almost like a whole different world than I’m used to. No double crosses, no cat’s paws, no deceit. Just a very relaxing atmosphere with great people.” I stood there for a second, letting that thought sink in for a second.

“That reminds me, I have something I want to ask you.” I said softly.

“Hmm?” Lara asked without looking up.

“I know this is a bit out of order but…” I paused to look down at her, waiting for her reaction. Her beautiful gray eyes shined as she looked up at me. “Lara Raith, will you be my partner in crime?” I asked, my heart beating so hard I thought she could hear it. Seconds passed like years as I waited for her answer. Finally she smiled wide then laughed. My stomach dropped as she laughed but I saw that happy twinkle in her eyes and my doubts vanished.

“Oh you are such a nerd Harry Dresden.” She laughed again but smiled at me. “If you’re asking what I think you’re asking then yes, I would love to be your partner in crime.” Her smile widened. I smiled back before leaning in and kissing her softly.

“Yuck.” We heard little Harry say, making us both smile as we kissed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times ahead, ye have been warned.  
> 

“I think we should go on a trip.” I said once Lara and I had gotten back inside. Michael, Charity, Amanda, and Alicia had managed to crowd onto the couch nearest the window, all of them trying to act like they hadn’t been watching Lara and I on the porch.

“Oh? What kind of trip did you have in mind?” Lara asked as she sat down on the loveseat. I sat down beside her and draped my arm over her shoulders without even thinking of it. She slid closer to my side as the little ones came inside.

“I was thinking New York? Maybe the three of us could take a trip over there, spend a week and just enjoy ourselves?”” I smiled at Lara as Maggie climbed up into my lap. Lara smiled p at me then at Maggie.

“That sounds wonderful.” Lara smiled as she kissed my cheek.

“Yuck.” Maggie said, making a disgusted face. All of us laughed as I gave Maggie a one armed hugged. She grinned ear to ear as she wrapped both of her little arms around mine.

“Would you like to go on a trip with us hobbit?” I asked, looking down at Maggie.

“With you and the pretty lady?” Maggie asked as she turned to look up at Lara. I tried to hold in a laugh but a smile appeared on my face.

“Yes with the pretty lady.” I said, laughter creeping into my voice. Maggie sat there for a second, staring at Lara before looking up at me and nodded.

“Okay, as long as you don’t make kissy faces all the time.” Her face scrunched up in disgust again. Michael let out a quick bark of laughter before covering his mouth. Charity slapped his shoulder gently but didn’t try to hide her amusement. I rolled my eyes at both of them but grinned down at Maggie.

“You mean like this?” I leaned down and kisses Lara softly.

“Eww! Cooties!” Maggie shouted as she jumped off my lap and ran upstairs. The six of us erupted into laughter again. We managed to get our laughter under control again and slipped back into comfortable conversation. An hour and a half passed before any of us noticed, time really does fly when you’re with good company. Charity was the first one to notice the late hour.

“Goodness look at the time. I should be getting the children to bed.” Charity’s said, patting Michael’s good knee before climbing to her feet. Lara nodded as she started to get up as well.

“We should be heading out then if the little ones are going to bed.” She smiled down at me as I felt my phone buzz. I pulled out my phone and read the text Molly had sent.

“Will be in the Nevernever all night. Mab has me working overnight. Don’t wait up.” The text read.

“A phone? Harry when did you get a cellphone? And how does it work?” Charity asked.

“Yea I thought that magic and technology don’t mix.” Amanda pointed out. I smirked as I got to my feet.

“To answer your questions in order. Recently, magic, and that’s usually the case.” I wiggled my eyebrows at them. Lara shook head with the rest of them but a smile stretched across her face. Michael chuckled as he got to his feet and walked us to the door.

“Whatever you say Harry.” Michael laughed as he opened the door for us. “Lara, it was a pleasure to have you with us tonight. I hope that you join us for dinner another day.” Michel asked and Lara’s face lit up.

“I would love to Michael, thank you.” She nodded to him as we started walking toward the car. Before Michael could shut the door, Maggie came running out, tackling my leg. I managed to keep my balance from the attack.

“Danny are you leaving?” Maggie asked, holding my leg tight. I winced a bit in guilt as I leaned down to pick her up.

“Yea, I have to go Hobbit, but I promise I’ll be back soon” I told her. She looked at me with those big brown eyes and stuck out her bottom lip. Damn this kid was real good at playing the adorable angle.

“When can I come with you?” Maggie asked quietly. Bam, that tugged my heart strings perfectly. I looked at her steadily for the several heartbeats before kissing her forehead.

“soon Hobbit, very soon.” She looked at my steadily for another heartbeat before I set her down. Her gaze settled on Lara for a second before she tugged on her pants let. Lara looked at me worriedly for a brief second before kneeling down to eyelevel with Maggie. Their eyes met for a few seconds before she wrapped her arms around Lara’s neck and hugged her.

“Take care of my daddy pretty lady. Make sure he comes to see me.” Maggie leaned back and looked at Lara. “You can come too.” She kissed Lara on the cheek before hugging her neck again. I watched Lara go rigid at the hug but slowly melted as Maggie’s word sunk in. Her eyes teared up as she delicately wrapped her arms around Maggie and hugged her tight. A minute passed before either of them let go.

“I will sweetie, I promise.” Lara whispered as Maggie pulled away. She was smiling ear to ear as she smiled up to me.

“And bring Mouse next time!” Maggie said excitedly. I laughed loudly and nodded.

“Will do Hobbit, I’ll be sure to bring him once he gets back from vacation. But for now it’s time for you to get to bed.” She nodded back before disappearing inside. Michael and I traded one last handshake before he shut the door and Lara and I left. We climbed back into the truck and headed back into town.

“Vacation?” Lara asked as I pulled out of the driveway.

“Yea I took Mouse to the vet to get a full checkup, and they had to keep him a couple of days for tests. I guess the tests vets use don’t work perfectly well with foo dogs. I’m pretty sure one of the tests came back and said Mouse was pregnant.” I chuckled as I remembered the look on that vets face. Lara smiled at me and nodded as she stared out the window. We sat there for a second as I started down the road. “It seems she’s taken a liking to you.” I smiled to myself as I drove. A small smile appeared across Lara’s face in her reflection in the window.

“I’m glad.” Lara turned toward me and her smile widened. “You have a beautiful daughter Harry.”

“Thanks, it’s all in the genes, all of us Dresden’s look good.” I laughed. Lara shook her head and gently slapped my arm. My laughter slowly subsided as I noticed Lara’s smile vanishing.

“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly. Lara turned sideways in the seat and eyed my sadly.

“This has been the most fun I have had in a long time. I wish it didn’t have to end.” Lara said softly as she watched me. I tried to keep my face blank but a smile kept trying to creep up on me.

“Well, who says it has to end? Shall we go back to my place?” I asked, very glad that Molly had sent me that text earlier. Lara’s eyes twinkled as her standard mischievous smile appeared on her face.

“What about Molly? Or did you plan on having her join us? Because I will admit I am not against the idea.” Her smile turned wicked as my mind started going to placed it should NEVER go.

“What? No!” My face blushed as I tried to pull my mind from the very interesting place it had just been. “Molly won’t be there, she’s gone for the night.” I tried to collect my thoughts as Lara’s grin widened.

“Such a shame.” Lara watched as my face reddened, before she started laughing. “I’m kidding Harry, I don’t like to share the ones that I have grown fond of.” She leaned across the middle divider and started kissing along my neck.

Stars and stones did this woman know how to break my mind and get my engines started.

“Down girl.” I said halfheartedly. She grinned and kept kissing my neck before working her way up to my jaw. Driving was going to be really difficult if she kept this up. Thankfully we were only a block away.

I pulled down into the parking garage of Molly’s apartment without hitting anything. Once the car was completely stopped, Lara effortlessly slid over and straddled my lap. Her lips quickly found mind and her fingers tangled in my hair. My hips slid up her perfect ass to her hips as she pushed her tongue past my lips. We sat there for several minutes, my hands caressing over her waist while her fingers ran through my hair. I tried to pull my brain back into the proper head, I really did, but damn if this woman wasn’t amazing at kissing. I finally managed to quiet my libido and pull away from the kiss. Lara’s lips were swollen from the passionate kiss as she grinned at me. Her breathing was labored as well, making her breast rise and fall in a very mesmerizing way. I managed to pull my eyes away from her breast and focus on her face.

“Maybe we should get inside.” I suggested, using every bit of my well trained mind to stay focused.

“What’s wrong Harry? Don’t like the idea of having a possible audience?” Lara purred, pressing her hips closer to me. I held back a groan as she pressed against my erection. My hands went to her hips to hold her still.

“Like you said earlier, I don’t like to share.” I grinned at her. Those beautiful grey eyes sparkled as her grin spread even wider.

“Touché.” She opened my door and climbed out, nearly dragging me with her. The doorman waved us in without ever looking up, obviously trying to suppress a grin. I nodded my thanks before making my way through the doors. As soon as I shut the door behind us, Lara pressed against me. Her hands came back up to my head and her lips pressed against mine. My hands slid down and cupped her rear, pulling her against me. I felt her legs wrap around my waist, very effectively pressing her hips against mine. Her hips curled into a grin as she pressed against my erection.

“Stars and stones Lara, you really know how to get a guy going.” I groaned, breaking our kiss to look at her.

“Maybe I just want you to move faster.” She grinned. Her lips started kissing a path against my neck as her hips started rolling against me. I tried to suppress another groan as my feet started moving toward my bedroom. I managed to find my way through the house and to my bedroom without tripping over anything despite the beautiful woman grinding against me. I felt Lara untangle herself from me and crawl across my bed, her giggle filling the dark room around me.

“Flicus bicus.” I whispered, causing a flame to appear in my fireplace and quickly grow into a bright fire, casting the room in an amber light. I turned from the fireplace back to Lara and my jaw nearly fell off from dropping so fast.

Lara had somehow managed to discard the majority of her clothes in the few moments since she left my arms. She was leaning against the head of my bed, wearing nothing but a black lace bra, the matching panties, and her wicked smile I loved so much. The light danced along her beautiful cream colored skin, drawing my eye across her body with every flicker of the fire. My eyes traced up every inviting curve of her body till my eyes made their way up to hers. They were glowing in the light of the fire. Now I’ve seen several beautiful women in my life, I’ve seen the kind of women that stare in big budget porn film, I’ve seen women that were inhumanly beautiful. But the sight before me was easily the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

I kneeled down on the edge of the bed, not wanting to take my eyes off of her as I shrugged out of my duster. Her eyes stared at me, slightly glazed over from the excitement of the kiss before. My hands gently cupped the outside of her thighs, caressing the smooth skin as I leaned in to kiss her again. She let out a soft purr of appreciation as my lips connected with hers. My hands slowly traveled up her body, tangling my fingers in the long shadow of her hair. Her tongue pressed against my lips as her hands traveled up my shirt and caressed my bare chest underneath. Her hands felt warm against my chest. As we kissed, her nails gently raked against my skin as she traveled down my chest, sending shivers down my spine. Her lips slowly pulled from mine as she pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside.

“Come Harry.” Lara whispered seductively. “We’re not teenagers here, you can do more than simply kiss me.” Her pearly white teeth shined as she grinned at me.

Aaaaaaaaaaand there went the last of my self-control.

I grinned as I presses my lips back against hers, more passionately than before. One of my hands cupped the back of her head while the other slide up her back. With a little effort I undid the clasps of her bra and felt it go slack. Her lips grinned against mine as she slide her bra off, dropping it onto the rapidly growing pile of clothes. I leaned back just to gaze at her breast, watching as the light danced across her nipples. I leaned down and gently kissed across her breasts. She let out a soft moan as I gently sucked on one of her nipples.

I felt her hips arch and press against me as I continued to suck on her breast. Her fingers tangled in my hair, making me grin to myself. My hands slowly slide down her body, only touching her skin with the tips of my fingers. As my hands reached the waistband of her panties, her hands quickly came down and wrapped around mine.

“Oh no, you’re not getting those off that easily.” She grinned as she rolled us over, pushing me on my back and straddling my waist. I gazed up at her, smiling as I took in her beauty. Her hair had fallen around her face, framing her breast and smile perfectly. A shiver ran down my spine as her fingers ran down my bare chest, making their way to my belt. With only a few movements of her fingers, my belt was undone and my pants were unbuttoned, giving sweet relief to my erection. She leaned down, pressing her breasts against my bare chest and her lips to mine, as she tugged my pants down. I grinned against her lips as I reached down to help her. Once there were low enough, I kicked off my shoes then pants to join the rest of our clothes on the floor.

“Mmm, much better.” Lara purred as her hand stroked me through my boxers. I groaned in tortured pleasure as I felt her hand through the thin fabric. One hand cupped the back of her head as my lips connected with hers while the other rested on the small of her back. My hand drifted lower and gently squeezed her ass. She purred softly against my lips in surprise before pulling away from my lips. “You really like my ass don’t you?”

“What can I say, it’s a wonderful ass to feel and see.” I admitted giving her a playful squeeze. She moaned softly and grinned down at me.

“Oh? Is that so?” She grinned as her hand tugged my boxers down and off. I sat up, grinning as I kissed her softly before rolling back over so she was under me. A moan escaped her lips before my lips found hers again. My hand slid down the front of her body, slowly sliding her panties off and tossing them aside. I slid my fingertips up her thigh as my tongue wrapped around hers. She moaned softly into my lips as my fingers gently caressed over her sex. She was extremely wet. Another moan escaped her lips as I continued to tease her. I felt her hands slide to my chest and gently push my away. I looked at her questionably as she pushed me further back but she simply bit her bottom lip and looked at my mischievously.

“Something wrong?” I asked. She grinned as she shook her head. I watched as she rolled over on her chest, sliding her knees under her and lifting her backside into the air. She looked over her shoulder, biting her bottom lip and starting at me, her eyes glazed over with lust and a slight blush touching her cheeks.

“Since you enjoy staring at my ass so much.” Lara said, her voice heavy with desire. Her grin widened as she wiggled her hips at me.

I wasn’t a very religious man, I wasn’t even sure if there was anybody up there, but at this moment, I was the most blessed man alive.

She grinned back at me, the light of the fire dancing in her eyes. I heard her giggle as she reached back to hand me a condom she had been hiding who knows where. I took it from her and quickly put it on. My heart was beating so fast in anticipation that my hands were shaking a bit. She moaned softly as I presses against her after finally getting it on. My hands gently held her hips as I took in the erotic sight. I took a deep breath, thinking whatever god was up there as I slowly entered her.

She let out a long moan, her hands gripping the sheets as a wide grin spread across her face. My fingers tightened on her hips as my hips started moving. The sounds of our moans quickly filled the air, blending with the sounds of the fire crackling on the other side of the room. My mind had gone blank from the pleasure, the only thing I could even attempt to focus on was Lara. Her moans, the feel of her skin against mine, the feeling of her sex wrapped around me as I moved inside her, all of these things filled my mind. Neither of us knew how much time had passed and honestly we didn’t care, the only thing we cared about was the feeling of being with each other. Eventually, Lara threw her head back and nearly screamed as she climaxed. I bit my lip and moaned as she tightened around me, sending me over the edge with her. My fingers held her hips tightly until both of us relaxed. A shiver ran through me as I slowly pulled out. All of the energy flowed out of her as she fell on to the bed, her skin shining from the sweat and a satisfied smile on her face. I quietly crawled out of bed, cleaned up quickly, and laid down on my side beside her. I propped myself up on one arm, laying on my side as I ran my hand down her back.

A shiver ran down her back at the contact of my hand. She lifted her head up slowly and smiled at me. She wiggled closer to me, turning on her side to press her back against my chest. Her hand reached around back to gently to take my hand and pressed it against her stomach. Once my hand started to cress her stomach, she snuggled closer to my chest. We stayed like that for a long time, my hand caressing her stomach as the light danced across her skin. It was several minutes before either of us said anything.

“Thank you Harry.” Lara whispered so quietly I wasn’t sure I heard her at first.

“For what?” I asked, leaning down to kiss her shoulder. I saw a smile appear on her face as she leaned back to face me.

“For everything. The help you have given me and my family in the past, the amazing moments we have shared together now, and the new outlook you’ve given me on the future.” She looked at her hand and the silver ring that seemed to glow on her finger. I leaned down and planted a kiss on the corner of her lips.

“Think nothing of it. If anyone deserves a second look at the world, it’s you.” I whisper softly as she turned over to look up at me.

“You are quite possibly, the most caring human I have ever come across. And I am more than glad that you are mine.” She leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on my lips before laying back down and pressing her head into my chest. I couldn’t help but smile as my hand caressed over her back and watches the fire light dance across her skin. Eventually I pulled the blankets over us and rolled onto my back. Lara slid closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder again. Sleep started to fill my mind, making every noise seem distant. As I wrapped my arm around Lara’s shoulder, I heard her whisper something so soft I wasn’t even one hundred percent I heard her correctly. Just four words drifted into my mind a moment before I fell asleep.

“I love you Harry.” Lara had whispered.

Then darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late upload, real word problems yada yada, but i wanted to thank everyone who has kept reading this. I plan on uploading more often, the story is written it just needs to be typed up. But again, thank you for the people that keep reading my story, the people that have given me pointers, and the people that have expressed how much they liked it. Thank you all.


	13. Chapter 13

Morning came way too quickly in my opinion. I felt like I was just getting started on a really good dream involving Spiderman when sunlight had already started streaming into the room. I covered my face with my arm and groaned softly

“Any chance you could turn the sun off again Lara?” I asked. When I didn’t get an answer I wiggled my arm and found it wasn’t pinned down. “Lara?” I called out as I sat up. The room was empty aside from me and half of Lara’s clothes were gone. Only her shirt and pants were still on the floor. I climbed out of bed and got dressed before walking out of the room. As I walked into the living room, I saw Lara dressed in one of my shirts, sitting on the couch talking to Molly.

Oh.

Well this is a bit awkward.

Molly looked up from the conversation she was having with Lara and grinned at me.

“Morning stallion.” Molly grinned. Lara looked over her shoulder and smiled at me. I looked back and forth between them questionably. That only made Molly grin wider and Lara blush a little bit. “Relax, Lara was just telling me about how your date went at my parents’ house yesterday.” Molly explained as she sipped her coffee. I sighed in relief and took a step closer to them.

Okay, crisis averted.

“And about last night.” Molly said softly as she sipped her coffee. I froze in place as I stared at her.

Shit, crisis not avoided, crisis driven straight into.

“Lara tells me you didn’t want me to join in last night. What’s wrong with me Harry, why couldn’t I join?” Molly grinned wider as she set her cup down and stared at me.

Fuck, we just took a U-turn and drove straight back into the crisis.

I stared at the both, my jaw hanging open slightly. MY eyes kept jumping between the two, trying to figure out if there was anything else I should be concerned about Lara telling Molly. Apparently the look on my face was too much for them because Molly broke into laughter. Lara sat there, smiling softly, her cheeks still a bit red as Molly laughed. Minutes passed before Molly calmed down and she managed to wipe the tears from her eyes.

“Relax Harry, I’m only kidding. But she did tell me a lot about you.” Her eyes drifted to the front of my pants and I immediately felt uncomfortable. I quickly walked to the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee. I shouldn’t have to deal with shit like this without first having my coffee.

“Don’t tell her things Lara, she has a wild imagination.” I glared briefly at Molly who responded with an innocent looking smile. I quietly fixed my coffee how I like it and sat down beside Lara. She slide a bit closer to me and the three of us started talking. After a while Molly checked her watch and sighed.

“Shit I’ve got to head out.” Molly complained as she got to her feet. “Winter Court stuff Mab has me doing, blah, blah, blah.” Molly sighed as she walked to the kitchen. She quickly cleaned her mug out and walked back over to the two of us. She wrapped her arms around my neck in a brief hug before doing the same to Lara. “I’ll see you guys later.” Molly waved goodbye as she disappeared out the door. Lara sat there in silence for a few seconds as we sipped our coffee.

“So what exactly did you tell her?” I asked. Lara nearly choked on her coffee. She managed to cough herself better before looking up at me.

“I just told her about the wonderful time we had yesterday at her old home.” She sipped at her coffee. “And maybe a little bit about last night.” She added quietly. I chuckled softly and shook my head.

“Well as long as you don’t tell her any lies.” I sipped at my coffee.

“None at all.” Lara smiled as she set her mug down and leaned into my side. “She seems to be completely different from the Molly that you told me about before.” Lara said softy. I sighed softly as I stared at the door.

“Yea she is. Before she wouldn’t have made a joke like that before. Hopefully the Winter Lady’s mantle isn’t changing her personality too much.” I kept my eyes on the door. I felt Lara move and look up at me.

“I’m sure she’s just becoming more comfortable making with you. I know the Winter Lady can be quite forward but Molly doesn’t seem too different.” Lara comfortingly. I sighed again and looked down at her.

“I guess you’re right.” We sat there in comfortable silence for a few more moments as I let the thought of my former apprentice slowly changing because of some power she had no choice in getting. “Hey are you doing anything today?” I asked, trying to get my mind away from that dark thought.

“Not really. Why do you ask?” She questioned as she leaned back against me.

“I was thinking that you, me, and Maggie could spend the day at the aquarium.” I glanced down at her as I asked. She smiled wide as she looked up to me and nodded.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Lara said happily as she placed a kiss on my cheek. I smiled back, turning my head to plant a soft kiss on her lips. “But we should probably take a shower first.”

“Do you mean together?” I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows at her. That drew a laugh from her as we stood up.

“Maybe I am.” She grinned as she leaned up to kiss me gently. “Come.” She took my hand and led me to the bathroom. Somehow we managed to take a shower with minimum distractions. Honestly, taking a shower with a woman this beautiful was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Seriously, I had to fight myself to keep my hands to myself as often as possible despite Lara brushing up against me every chance she got. She may be human now but she still kept that sexy succubus mentality when she was naked.

We finished showering and got dressed, me in my usual shorts and tee, Lara in last nights clothes. She took a look at herself in the mirror and scrunched her nose.

“Do you mind if we stop by and let me get a change of clothes?” Lara asked as she fixed her hair.

“Not at all.” I walked over and wrapped my arms around her waist, kissing her neck gently. “Maybe you should keep a few changes of clothes over here?” I suggested with a grin. She smiled back at my reflection in the mirror.

“Maybe I will.” She turned in my arms and placed a soft kiss on my lips. “Come on, we should head out.” Her hand slid into mine as she pulled me out of the apartment.

We arrived at the Chateau Raith only a short while later. The guard waved us in with minimum effort. Another moment later we were parked in front the mansion and climbing out of the old truck. Lara led me to the door before sliding her ring off.

“Wait for me in the kitchen.” Lara said as we walked inside, her cold vampire attitude settling around her again. I nodded to her before making my way to the kitchen. Once there, I saw a very familiar waterfall of white hair. Justine was dressed in a plain white business suit, holding a clipboard and directing a few food delivery men around. I slowly walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hope you’re not working these poor guys too hard.” I grinned as she turned around to face me.

“Harry!” She nearly shouted as she threw her arms around my neck in a hug. I laughed and hugged her back. Several of the delivery men stopped and smiled at us before she pulled away. Apparently they were happy to take every chance they could for a break. Justine looked over at the workers then at the clock on the wall. “Take a short break gentlemen.” Justine said as we walked over to the bar. Several of the workers let out a loud sigh of relief before walking back outside. I slide out a stool for Justine who smiled at me as she took it.

“So how have you been Harry?” It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you.” She smiled at me again as I took a seat beside her.

“I’ve been good. Nothing too dangerous or scary has tried to kill me lately.” I chuckled.

“Except for a few gargoyles?” Justine grinned at me. I chuckled again and grinned back.

“Lara told you about that?” I asked, reaching over and grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl setting on the countertop.

“She’s told me a lot about you.” Her eyes flicked to my crotch as I took a bite of my apple. My cheeks turned pink as I uncomfortably shifted on my stool.

“Apparently she finds my junk a great conversation starter.” I grumbled. A grin spread across her face as she leaned back a little bit.

“Among other things. She says you have a great ass too.” I nearly choked on my apple at the comment. Justine laughed as she placed her hand on my back, making sure I didn’t choke to death. Once I dislodged the fruit from my windpipe, I glanced sideways as Justine.

“I need to have a talk with her about what she should or shouldn’t share with everyone.” I grumbled as I took another bite of my apple.

“Harry, she’s a sex vampire. That’s a topic she shares with everyone.” I took a second to think that over as I chewed.

“I guess you’re right, but she’s not one anymore.” I mumbled. We sat there for a second in silence before I looked over at her. “So how are things with you and Thomas? Are you guys still threesoming it up?” Justine’s cheeks turned pink as I mentioned her sex life. I glanced up to see one of the delivery guys lean his head in the doorway, obviously picking up on the phrase “threesoming” and become very interested in our conversation. I glanced her him, his name tag reading Darrell, and I gave him my best scowl. He slide away quickly and I turned my attention back to Justine.

“Not really. Before we did it so we could be together, but thanks to you, we can be together without having to do anything like that. We’ve hardly left each other’s side except for work.” She placed a hand over mine and smiled at me. “I truly want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You did more than just give me Thomas, you gave the two of us a brighter future together.” She smiled wider as she leaned in and kissed my cheek gently. I smiled back at her, my cheeks a little pink as I watched her get to her feet.

“Don’t mention it. I’m happy to do whatever I can for family.” I winked playfully at her. A blush touched her cheeks as she returned my smile and grabbed her clipboard.

“Alright gentlemen, time to get back to work.” Justine called out. Instantly the men came back into the room and got back to work. I picked Darrell out of the group and eyed him down. He met my gaze for a second before quickly turning away and focusing on his work. It’s fun to torment nosey kids every now and then. Just as I stood up, Lara appeared beside me, nearly scaring me out of my skin.

“Stars and stones Lara! Don’t do that to me!” I yelled, drawing everyone’s attention. Lara smirked as she looked up at me, obviously not bothering to hide her amusement. Justine smile and shook her head before turning back to her work. Lara and I stood there, watching Justine work and letting my heart calm back down.

“You can really happier since you gave Thomas that ring.” Lara said quietly enough so only I could hear. I looked down at her and noticed the suitcase for the first time.

“That’s good.” I smiled as I turned my attention back to Justine.

“She has grown more productive in the past few days. I guess being able to have your over all to yourself will do wonders for your state of mind.” Lara said softly, glancing up at me with a smile.

“You have no idea.” I winked at her as I stepped to the side. “Shall we depart?” I asked as I motioned toward the door. She nodded once before heading outside. Once we were back in the safety of my truck, Lara slide her ring back on, transforming back into human Lara.

“Feel better?” I asked as she slumped in the seat.

“Much. I feel like I’ve grown used to not having the power I used to have. I actually feel more comfortable as a human.” She turned and looked at me. I grinned as I started the truck.

“Good, means I get to spend more time with you without out trying to kill me.” I said as I started driving. She returned my grin and slide into the middle seat, leaning her head against my shoulder.

“I suppose that is a good thing. There are worse fates than having to spend more time with you.” She leaned up and kissed my cheek. “At least you’re fun to be around.”

“Aww, you’re going to make me blush.” I chuckled as I drove us to the Carpenter house.


	14. Chapter 14

   We pulled up tp the Carpenters house about half an hour later. I had asked Lara to call Michael ahead of time and make sure Maggie was ready for the day. As we pulled into the driveway i noticed someone hammering a for sale sign into the yard across the street. I parked and slide out of the truck, watching the person work on that sigh for a second before walking with Lara to the door. I knocked a few times before Lara and I took a step back just as Maggie came running out the door, missing my nose by only an inch or two. 

   "Daddy!" Maggie shouted as she hugged my legs. I smiled as i leaned down and picked her up, hugging her tight.

   "Hey Hobbit." I said happily. She leaned back and smiled at me. It took her a moment before she took noticed of Lara.

   "And the pretty lady." Maggie smiled as she leaned over and hugged Lara's neck. Lara smiled as she hugged her back. "Is Mouse here too?" Maggie asked as she looked around.

   "No Hobbit Mouse isn't here." I laughed softly. "But i have a surprise for you." My smile widened as she quickly turned her attention back to me, her eyes shining as a smile spread across her face.

   "A surprise?" Maggie exclaimed happily.

   "Yup, how would you like to go to the aquarium with me and Lara?" I asked, watching surprise take over her face. 

   "I want to go see the dolphins!" Maggie shouted as she jumped out of my arms. "I'll get my back!" She ran inside just as Michael walked out.

   "I told her she had someone special coming to day. She nearly drove Charity and I mad asking who it was." Micheal smiled. We traded a quick friendly hug and I smiled as he hugged Lara like an old friend.

   "Thanks for letting us surprise her." I nodded in thanks.

   "Don't mention it, its one of the things parents enjoy the most. There's just something about seeing a little one's face light up." Michael smiled as he was remembering a moment like that. 

  "True." I smiled as Maggie came out with her favorite backpack. I noticed Michael was trying not to laugh at something once Maggie came out. 

  "What do you think daddy?" Maggie asked as she turned around and I saw exactly what Michael found so funny. On the back of Maggie's bag was the blonde main character of _Frozen_. I looked up at him still trying to suppress a laugh.

  "Ha ha, Michael you should be a comedian." I shake my head but I couldn't hold back the smile that appeared on my face. Michael finally let his laughter lose at the same time Lara covered her mouth to hide her giggles. I looked back and forth between the two and sighed softly while Maggie just looked up at us in confusion.

  "What's so funny daddy?' Maggie asked.

  "Nothing Hobbit, Michael just thinks he's funny. Do you have clothes in your bag and your homework?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

  "Yup!" Maggie nodded excitedly.

  "Good Hobbit." I smiled at her before looking back up to Michael. "Say goodbye to Mr. Carpenter." She gave Micheal a hug around the legs before standing between Lara and I. "I'll make sure she does her homework." I smiled one last time at Michael as we started to leave.

  "Make sure you get into the habit of doing that. Something tells me you're going to have to very soon." Hr grinned his knowing smile as we climbed into the truck. I gave him a questioning glance but decided to let it go before climbing into the drivers seat and heading out.

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  Half an hour later, I pulled into the parking spot at the Shedd Aquarium. Lara and Maggie had talked the entire trip about anything and everything. Once i shut the truck off I pulled my manacles out and closed them around my left wrist.

  "Daddy why did you put that funny bracelet on?" Maggie asked, eyeing the bracelets closely. 

  "Because things like to break around daddy." Lara answered before I could. "They make sure that doesn't happen so much." Maggie thought about that for a minute before she nodded in satisfaction. 

  "Mr. Carpenter said that too." I chuckled and rolled my eyes as we got out. Maggie slide out behind me, taking my hand in hers as Lara came out of her side. We started inside when Maggie reached over and held Lara's hand. Surprise flashed across Lara's face for a fraction of a second before a smile settled on her face. I could feel a smile spread across my face, happy to enjoy the kind of feeling that I had only ever dreamed about. We walked inside and Maggies face lit up as she looked around at all the exhibits in the front hall. I managed to hold her hand to keep her from taking off before paying for the tickets. Once tickets were acquired and my wallet lighter, I let go of Maggie's hand and watched her run over to one of the exhibits.

   Damn it felt good not to be poor anymore.

  "Maggie! Make sure you don't run off too far!" I called out to her. She stopped and turned to face me, a big smile plastered across her face.

  "Okay daddy!" She yelled as she walked to the Caribbean reef display in the center of the room. I watched as her head followed a fairly large sea turtle as it swam through the water. Lara came up beside me and slide her hand into mine as we walked.

  "The day has just started and I can already tell that you're going to have a blast." Lara whispered as we stepped up behind Maggie. I caught my reflection in the glass, a big smile was plastered across my face without even realizing I was doing it. 

"I just...never thought I would get the chance to enjoy myself like this. I promised I would be a better father to Maggie but in the year since Karrin left, I haven't really done anything for her." I watched the smile in the glass soften as i squeezed Lara's hand. "This is the first time I've really spent time with her." I mumbled. Lara watched me closely before lifting my hand to her lips.  


   "I'm glad that you have over come your sadness. Even someone like me can see that she has missed you very much." A smile touched her lips as she turned to face me. "And i feel honored that you would let me join you on your family outing today."  


   "Well you ARE part of the family now." I grinned as i lifted her hand to my lips and kissed the back of it. Pink touched her cheeks as her smile grew in size. We stayed like that for a few moments, letting Maggie enjoy the brightly colored fish floating in the tank. Eventually she walked back over to us, smiling wide as she tugged on my pants leg.  


   "Daddy can we go see the dolphins now?" Maggie asked. i looked over at the clock, checking with the schedule on the back of the little booklet they had offered my beore.  


   "The dolphins aren't out yet Hobbit. We have to wait just a bit longer." I told her. a frown had quickly replaced her smile, obviously saddened she has to wait. thankfully Lara was there to save the day. She leaned down and smiled at Maggie.  


   "The dolphins are sleeping right now but they'll be wide awake soon. Do you want to go touch a sting ray?" Lara asked. I was honestly surprised that Maggie's head didn't fall off from how fast she started nodding.  


   "Yea! Whats a sting ray?" Maggie asked. I laughed but smiled at her at i knelt down to her level.  


   "Sting rays are these flat fish like creatures with big long tails." I held my hands out to show the size of the tails while doing my best Steve Irwin impression. Her eyes lit up at my story while Lara was doing her best not to laugh at me.  


   "Yea lets go!" Maggie turned to walk away then stopped and looked up at Lara as we both rose to our feet. "Oh and you don't have to call me Maggie. You can call me Hobbit like daddy. I don't mind.' Maggie smiled as she took Lara's hand. "I like you anyway." She smiled a big toothy grin up at Lara as we all started to walk. I swear you could hear Lara's heart melting in her chest as a smile spread across her face.  


   "I like you too Hobbit." Lara returned Maggie's smile as she leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek.  


   "Yuck!" Maggie grinned as she wiped her cheek. Lara giggled as she stood back up and took my hand as well. After a few steps Lara leaned over over to me and whispered.  


   "A Steve Irwin impression? Really Harry?" She grinned her trademarked grin at me.  


   "Its almost an unwritten rule that you have to talk like the Crocodile Hunter when you talk about sting rays. Those evil bastards." Lara laughed and shook her head.  


   "You're almost too much Harry." She smiled as we got to the string ray tank. We managed to squeeze our way through the throngs of people and find an open spot beside the tank big enough for all three of us. Lara sat sideways on the extra thick glass and watched as Maggie leaned over to put her hand in the water. I stood on the other side, simply enjoying watching them enjoy themselves. Lara placed her hand on Maggie's back as she leaned over and ran her hand along the sting rays back.  


   "Its bumpy." Maggie gasped as she rubbed the creatures back.  


   "Is it?" Lara asked. "I've never touched one before."  


   "Touch it." Maggie smiled as she took Lara's hand and guided it over the fishes back. Lara gasped as she ran her fingers along the animals back.  


   "It is bumpy. Cold too." Lara smiled as she took her hand out of the water. "Know what else is cold?" Lara grinned as Maggie shook her head. "The water." She flicked a little bit of water at Maggie. Maggie squeaked in surprise but laughed and wiped it off.  


   "Hey now try not to get us kicked out." I chuckled at them.  


   "We're just having fun daddy." Maggie smiled.  


   "Yea daddy." Lara winked and smiled at me. I chuckled and shook my head.  


   "Okay, okay do what you want." I grinned and held my hands up in surrender. Its funny when your daughter and girlfriend team up on you. "Want to go see the penguins Hobbit?''  


   "They have penguins here?" Maggie asked excitedly as she bounced up and down.  


   "Yup. Should we go?"  


   "Yes!" Maggie jumped up and grabbed my hand. She started pulling against me with all her might trying to pull me to my feet. I laughed and got up, taking Lara's hand as she stood with me. Maggie reached back and took Laras hand in here without looking at it. I smiled at Lara as i started to lead them through the aquarium. We walked past exhibit after exhibit before making our way downstairs. I was worried for a moment that Maggie's head would twist off at the speed she was looking around. Once we made out way downstairs, Maggie spotted the dolphin tank and bolted, leaving Lara and I in the dust. Lara laughed as she slide her hand into mine as we walked up behind Maggie. She had her face pressed against the glass as she watched the dolphins swimming in the water.  


   "They're so pretty." Maggie said softly, starting at them in bewilderment. I smiled more as i watched her move her head as she followed one dolphin along the glass. Lara laughed softly as she rested her head on my arm. I smiled softly before leaning over and kissing the top of her head.  


   "Having fun?" I asked quietly.  


   "Time of my life." She mumbled softly as she let out a sigh of contentment. We stood like that for a little while before Lara pulled away. "I'll be right back. Must go powder my nose." I smiled as she walked away, drawing several stares. I grunted in amusement before i knelt down beside Maggie.  


   "Daddy?" Maggie asked softly without taking her eyes off the dolphins.  


   "Hmm?" I asked softly as i started to watch the dolphins as well.  


   "Are you going to marry the pretty lady?" Maggie asked as i coughed in surprise.  


   Damn kids are sharp.  


   I turned my had and looked at her. She hadn't moved an inch from her spot. I watched her for several heartbeats while I let my mind fuse back together.  


   "Would you want me to?" I asked her quietly. She stood there for a minute thinking.  


   "I like her. she's nice. I think you should marry her." She turned to look at me and gave me the most serious look I've ever seen this child give. "Before some of the other people who were looking at her butt ask her." She glanced at one of the guys who was staring at Lara when she first walked by.  


   Damn kids are REALLY sharp.  


   I laughed a bit as i put my hand on her tiny back. She turned back to me and smiled. To be honest i had never thought of marriage before, especially in my line of work. Sure i had entertained the thought a time or two but I never actually thought someone like me could have a nice life like that. Being a wizard, love between normal people never seemed to last since we tended to outlive our other halves by a few centuries. But i guess if your partner is a near immortal vampire then that excuse goes out the window. I had promised myself that I would be a better father to Maggie and every kid deserves a full loving household. Things needed to change.  


   "I really like her too Hobbit." I said as i leaned in to kiss her forehead. She wiped it off and grinned at me. ''Want to play a prank on Lara? To make those people stop staring at her?" I asked, grinning to ear.  


   "Yes!" Maggie giggled. Thankfully she had gotten her sense of humor from me. I whisper the plan in her ear then waited till Lara came back. Only a minute passed before Lara came back around the corner. The same few people were in the same spots as before, waiting and watching for Lara to come back.  


   "Okay there she is. Go get her." I whispered to Maggie as i gently pushed her back. A few younger guys had started to walk toward Lara just as Maggie started running toward Lara. Now I can understand guys being drawn by Lara's beauty, even without the vampire aura drawing people to her, but she was with me now so.  


   "Mommy!" Maggie shouted as she ran toward Lara. The younger guys instantly changed direction, magically finding something else to be interested in. I tried as hard as i could to keep back my laughter as I watched Lara's face turned bright red. Maggie threw her arms around Lara's legs and gave her a big hug. I started laughing as Lara's face, frozen in surprise. I started walking toward them, noticing one woman hadn't been deterred from Maggie's show of affection. She glanced at me and back to Lara, a thought going through her head. She seemed to look at me and back to Lara before shrugging to herself and walking away. Thankfully i didn't have to deal with that confrontation because I'm pretty sure the dark knight side would have loved to give the answer.  


   "Mommy?" Lara asked as i got to them, drawing my mind back to reality and away from those thoughts. She glanced down at Maggie who had let go of her leg and was smiling up at her. She looked up and smiled wide at both of us.  


   "Daddy told me to do it. He told me to call you that and give you a big hug."  


   "Oh did he now?" Lara smirked at me. I grinned and shrugged. Lara laughed and smiled as she leaned down and picked up Maggie and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.  


   "Yuck!: Maggie giggled as she wiped her cheek. Lara turned her attention back to me and grinned.  


   "I wanted to see how you liked being called mommy." I winked and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. Lara started at me in confusion while Maggie made a disgusted face. I laughed at Maggie and Lara joined a moment later. "Come on, the dolphin show should be starting soon." Maggie smiled wide, eyes twinkling as she jumped out of Lara's arms and started running toward the exit. It had occurred to me and Maggie just likes to run around without having the slightest idea where she's going. "Hold on Hobbit! I called out as Lara and I started walking. She slid her hand into mine as we walked.  


   "What did you mean by that?" Lara asked softly. I smiled to myself as we got to Maggie and started walking.  


   "You'll see." I whispered cryptically. Being a wizard I am an expert in the cryptic and mysterious. She eyed me fore a moment before smiling softly and kissing my cheek.  


   "I hope so." She leaned her head against my arm as we led Maggie to the dolphin show. We found a empty space right up front and took our place just as the employee stepped out from the back.  


   The bad thing about dolphin shows is if you're a super tall guy like me, chances are pretty high that you're going to be picked as the "volunteer" for the show. Doesn't really help either that i was sitting next to a super model either. Maggie and Lara laughed when the announcer all but forced me on to the stage. I tried to act the part but there's something about raw fish and large animals trying to eat it out of my hand that makes me uneasy. I think its was all the times where some large animal had tried to eat me. I looked up to see Lara and Maggie laughing hysterically. At least they were having fun. After the show the dolphin wrangler, or whatever they're called, met the three of us at our seats and asked if we wanted to pet the dolphin. I honestly thought that Maggie's jaw was going to fall off it had dropped so low. The announcer led us up to the stage and one of the dolphins splashed Lara and Maggie. Glad to see the dolphins had my back. The announcer pulled out a camera and smiled at us.  


   "How about a family photo?" He asked. I smiled and Lara blushed but she leaned in to me and smiled. The announcer snapped the photo as the dolphin flipped over our heads. He looked at the photo in the camera viewer fora moment before showing it to us. "Looks good, just pick it up at the customer service desk before you leave." He explained as he went back to looking at the camera. I glanced back at Lara and saw that her bra was very clearly showing through her shirt. I politely cleared my throat, drawing the announcers attention away from the picture.  


   "Is there anyway we could get some towel for the girls?' I asked, nodding toward Maggie and Lara.  


   "Oh of course! My bad." The announcer quickly hurried back behind the stage and handed the towels to the girls. While Lara helped Maggie dry off I whispered to the announcer.  


   "Once we get that photo I'm going to ask that you delete it from your camera. And make sure next time you don't make it painfully obvious you're ogling my girlfriend." I said as I gave him my meanest stare. Apparently it worked since the announcer paled.  


   "S-sorry sir." The announcer nodded as he stepped back. "I'll be sure to do just that. And please take the towels." He quickly hurried off and i stood there smiling. Once the girls were dry enough we walked around the rest of the exhibits. Once we had finished our tour of the aquarium and got our picture from the front desk, we all decided to end the day with some ice cream.  


   "I want chocolate! And strawberry!" Maggie repeated excitedly, going down an impressive list of flavors, some i didn't even know about. Lara simply smiled as I dove. We got to the shop and everyone got what they wanted. Chocolate and strawberry for Maggie, cherry for Lara, and plain vanilla for me. We all sat at one of the tables outside, enjoying the view of cars and people passing by. just enjoying each others company. Before I knew it an hour had passed and the sun started to set.  


   "Wow, it's gotten really late." I said as i gathered up the trash to throw it away. "We've got to get you home Hobbit and get started on your school work." I smiled at her while she responded with the usual looks I've heard kids give when anyone mentions homework.  


   "Okay." Maggie mumbled as she got up.  


   "I should probably get back too. I've got a lot of work i need to catch up on." She sighed.  


   "What do you mean? You can't just leave me and Hobbit." I gave her a fake surprised look. She stared at me for a second, actual surprise on her face, before a smile started to spread across her face.  


   "Okay I'll stay." Lara grinned as she took her phone out. "Just let me make a phone call." She dialed a number on her phone and stepped away to talk. Maggie watched Lara walk away before looking up at me.  


   "Daddy, what does mommy do?" Maggie asked. I chuckled to myself, a little happy that Maggie had already gotten used to calling Lara mommy but tried not to let it show too much on my face.  


   "Mommy's a superhero like me. But she's in charge of a lot of people." I explained, smiling down at her. She seemed to let that though bounce around her head for a minute before nodding in acceptance. A few seconds later Lara came back, stone faced with a touch of pink to her cheeks. I looked at her questionably for any sort of answer but she simply shook her head and nodded toward Maggie.  


   Ah, got it, since she cant say in front of the little one it must be in regards to her white court friends. Which must meant it was a sex thing that was either aimed at me or something like that. Strange that anything they say would make her blush though. It must be the ring suppressing her inner demon has someone changed her views on somethings. I might have to look into that later.  


   "We should probably head out." I nodded as we all piled back into the truck. The sun had just slipped past the horizon as we pulled into the underground parking garage. A few minutes later we had made out way through the checkpoints the svartalves set in place and found ourselves in Molly's living room. Molly was curled up on one of the couches with a book in her hand. She glanced up at the three of us and smiled as we walked in.  


   "Welcome back guys. Did you have fun?" She asked, placing her book on the coffee table. I hung my duster on the coat rack and undid my manacles, sliding them into the pocket of my duster.  


   "I got to pet a dolphin!" Maggie exclaimed happily, running over to give Molly a hug.  
"Did you? That's awesome! I wish I could have gone." Molly smiled as she keeled down to hug Maggie back.  
"It was fun but mommy and daddy kept making kissy faces." Maggie scrunched her face up. A wide smile spread slowly across her face as she turned toward Lara and myself.  


   "Did they now?" Her grin widened, very obviously entertained.  


   "Hobbit why don't do you do to the table and get started on your work." I suggested, frantically trying to change the subject. Maggie looked at me but nodded and heated toward the kitchen table. Molly kept her eyes on Lara and I, never turning her attention away.  


   "Mommy?" Molly asked quietly. Lara blushed a bit but smiled softly.  


   "What can i say? We played a joke on Lara and i guess it stuck. Who knows, maybe it'll last longer." I winked at Molly, giving Lara's hand a squeeze. She smiled wider as i let go of her hand. "I'm going to go help Hobbit." I gave a Lara a quick kiss on the cheek before sliding over to the table to help Maggie.  
Maggie and I sat there for an hour and a half, going over her math, spelling, and the states. Lara had taken a seat on the couch and started going over the days events to Molly. I could hear them both laughing at one point. Hopefully it was over the look on the announcers face when I threatened him. I chuckled to myself at the memory but focused on helping Maggie. Eventually Molly got off the couch and came into the kitchen to get a drink.  


   "Whats wrong Harry? Having a hard time wrapping your head around all that school work?" Molly grinned. I smirked and and whispers something to Maggie. She turned around in her chair and looked at Molly.  


   "It's not hard, just a lot. Do you want to help Auntie Molly?" I heard Lara cough to hide a laugh and watched as Molly glared daggers at me.  


   "No I think your daddy can help you. It just takes him a minute to do basic math.: She smirked at me before walking back to her seat on the couch. Lara glanced over at us and smiled even wider. Less than half an hour later we finally finished her work.  


   "Alright Hobbit it's bath time." I said as i stretched my arms above my head. She nodded at headed to the bathroom. A few seconds later i heard the door shut and the water start a moment later. I got up and plopped down on the couch between Lara and Molly. She leaned against my arm and rest her head on my shoulder. A moment later i heard the door open and Maggie call out.  


   "Mommy can you help me? The bath tub is too big!" Lara chuckles and pats my leg.  


   "I'll go give her a hand." Lara got to her feet and walked to the bathroom to help Maggie out.  


   "Glad to see you two are getting along so well considering all you guys went through." Molly said after a moment of silence between us. I glanced over at her as she sipped her drink.  


   "Me too." I said quietly before leaning my head back and staring at the ceiling.  


   "Are you going to ask her to be Maggie's mother?" Molly asked plainly. I stayed quite for a moment, letting the idea bounce around in my head for a few minutes.  


   "Possibly. It's nice to have someone like Lara around. Surprisingly we clicked pretty well. We have a lot in common." I said, closing my eyes.  


   "So did we." Molly said softly with a tiny bit of spite in her voice.  


   "Stars and stones Molly, are you going to start this again? I'm sorry it will never work between us. I've known you since you were in a kid. Hell I'm your god father Molls." I leaned up and looked at her, being very careful to keep my voice down. "I'm sorry Molly, I care about you I love you but as part of my family. Besides you wouldn't like a crotchety old guy like me." I said softly, trying very hard to lighten up the conversation. She stared at me long and hard for several minutes before a small smile appeared on her lips.  


   "I know, I just needed to hear it from you for one last time. To be honest Carlos and I have been seeing each other for awhile now." A slight blush appeared on her face. I stared at her in amazement.  


   "No shit? Carlos? I never knew." I smiled. "Oh next time I see him I'm going to ask him all about you. Payback is a bitch." I grinned evilly at her. Her face turned even more red and she tried to hide behind her drink.  


   "Try not to tease him to much. He's still sensitive that he was a virgin for so long." Molly said quietly.  


   "Was?' Iooked her in surprise. Her eyes widened as she realized what she said.  


   "Anyway!" Molly practically shouted. "Have you thought of where you want to live?" I grinned at her attempt to change the subject but decided to let it go. I'm not that mean of a person.  


   "I've got my eyes on this little place that just went up for sale. I should be able to get it pretty soon." I explained.  


   "Oh? Where at?" Molly asked.  


   "That's a secret." I grinned playfully at her. Molly rolled her eyes ad checked her watch.  


   "Shoot I've got to go!" Molly said as she jumped to her feet. She gave me a quick hug and smiled. "I'm glad you're happy boss. You've been through a lot of shit." I laughed and nodded in agreement.  


   "That is true grasshopper. Tell Carlos I said hey." I grinned as she grabbed her jacket and keys. She turned red and stared at the door. She looked over at me and smiled.  


   "Will do." She grinned and left. I laughed loudly just as Lara and Maggie came back into the living room. Maggie was dressed in her pajamas with her hair pulled back into a pony tail. I sat up straight and smiled at them both.  


   "Well Hobbit you look squeaky clean." i smiled as she climbed up on the couch beside me.  


   "Yup! Mommy even did my hair all pretty." Maggie grinned, turning her head left and right to swing her pony tail.  


   "She sure did, it looks great." I smiled up at Lara who had a big smile on her face.  


   "I think I'm going go take a shower myself." Lara said before leaning over and kissing the top of Maggie's head then leaned up to give me a quick kiss. Once the bathroom door shut, Maggie looked up at me.  


   "I think the pretty lady likes being called mommy.: Maggie grinned. I laughed and smiled down at her.  


   "I think so too." I scooped Maggie up and sat her in my lap. She giggled and leaned back against me.  


   "Daddy. Are we going to live with auntie Molly forever?" She asked, looking up at me. I chuckled to myself, glad that my jokes are sticking with her.  


   "No Hobbit, I plan on getting a house soon." I pat the top of her head.  


   "Good. I like it here but i want my own room." I laughed at that and Maggie joined me in a fit of giggles. A few minutes later Lara came out wearing one of my shirts and a towel wrapped around her head.  


   Damn that woman can make anything look good.  


   She sat down beside me and pulled her legs up under her as she dried her hair off.  


   "Your turn daddy." She winked at me and smiled. I returned the smile and sat Maggie beside me.  


   "Hope you left me some hot water." I grinned as i leaned over and kissed her lips softly.  


   "Hope you don't blow the water heater." Lara smirked. I shook my head and headed to the shower. One short shower, I walked back into the living room to see Maggie sitting in Lara's lap, her eyes closing and opening as she tried to fight off sleep. I chuckled and picked her up.  


   "Come on it's bed time." I smiled as I carried Maggie to bed with Lara right behind me. I whispered the spell i use to light the fireplace and the room was instantly bathed in amber light. I gently laid down Maggie down on the bed, sliding into bed beside her with Lara on the opposite side. Lara pulled the blankets over us as she laid down. Maggie snuggled into my chest, losing her fight with sleep. Just before she fell under I heard her whisper.  


   "Night daddy. Night mommy. I love you." Lara and I smiled wide and kissed the top of her head at the same time. A smile spread across her face before falling asleep. I looked up and smiled at Lara. She met my gaze for a second before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on my lips. I kissed her back for as long as i could before she pulled away. 

   She smiled wider as she put her head on the pillow and slowly closed her eyes.  


   "Good night Harry." She said softly as I leaned into the pillow. "I love you." She added a heartbeat later. I closed my eyes and smiled as i draped my arm over both of them.  


   "I love you too Lara." I whispered before sleep took hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone that has enjoyed reading this work and bookmarked this hoping for another update. I have been dealing for some stuff that held up the story. But hopefully I'll be able to finish this story soon and continue working on my own story in the near future. Again I want to say thank you to all the readers who followed my story this long.


	15. Chapter 15

"Its about time." Someone shouted, their voice cutting through the darkness that surrounded me. I frantically started searching for the sound of the voice until it sighed. "Over here genius." Finger snapped and a spotlight shined on a figure standing about ten feet away. I rolled my eyes as i stood up and walked toward my dark subconscious alter ago.

He stood in the center of the spotlights circle, the same smug smile he always has plastered across his face. He was dressed in a suit similar to the one I had worn on my first date with Lara. The main difference is he wore all black like some sort of wannabe Bond villain. He chuckled to himself, stroking his perfectly trimmed evil villain goatee. He stepped back as I entered the circle of light, the snowflake pin he wore ever since i became the Winter Knight shining brightly.

"You finally went out and got yourself laid didn't you. God knows that after that mess with Karrin you needed it. And you survived going at it with Lara Raith of all people." He grinned and rapped his knuckles against my chest. "Proud of you." He said smugly. I looked down at where his hand just was then glanced back up at him.  


"Don't mention Karrin." I growled.

"Oooo scary." Darth Harry held up his hands in mock fear. "You do forget that I AM you right? You don't scare me." He grinned. "But seriously, Lara fucking Raith, I am seriously I'm pressed. Not too many people can claim to have survived a round with her. And the other night? Damn you're an animal." He grin widened to crazy person levels. I sighed and stared at him, more annoyed than anything.

"Did you bring me here just to go over my sex life like some kind of frat boy?" I glared at my evil twin."

"Not entirely but we could if you want." He snapped his fingers and a theater sized screen appeared in the darkness behind him. The image of Lara, dressed like she was the first time I brought her home, mostly naked save for two pieces of underwear and her smile. I stared at the screen for a moment, temporally hypnotized at the sight of Lara in my bed with the light of the fire illuminating her face. I shook my head and turned my attention back to myself.

"No, I do not. Can we just get to the point? Why did you bring me here." I asked, watching him closely.

"Fine, fine. No need to get your panties in a bunch. Leave that for Lara." He grinned as he snapped his fingers again and the screen disappeared, leaving us alone in the light. 

"But if you want to get to the point so fast, fine. What do you plan on doing from here?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, slightly confused from the question.

"With Lara."

"What about her?"

"Do you plan on getting hitched. Obviously you're having a tough time with the thought other wise I wouldn't be here." I blinked in surprise at his forwardness.

"I was thinking about it. I'm not one hundred percent sure about it. I mean, she's a vampire and I'm a wizard. Plus I have to think about Maggie in all this. Maggie seems to like her a lot but I don't think Lara has any motherly instincts." I sighed to myself as i looked down slightly. My dark alter ago stared at me silently.

"Do you really think all that?" He asked plainly. I looked up at him and thought about it for a second. Was i being honest with myself? Figuratively and literally. "You can lie to yourself, well not really since you're trying to lie to me right now."

"I suppose you're right." I nodded.

"I usually am." He grinned. "It seems all your smarts were given to me and you weren't left with much." He laughed and i scoffed.

"Shut up. I don't need your insults." I turned away from him. "I should be waking up soon, I hope anyway."

"Have you looked into getting your own place?" He asked as i started walking.

"I've got a place in mind. I'm going to look into it tomorrow." I waved him off as i left the circle of light.

"Look at you, using that brain of yours." He laughed as the light clicked off, his laugh slowly fading into the darkness.

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I felt myself slowly being pulled out of asleep before the rest of my brain caught up to my body. I tried to fight it off by my body kept telling me it was time to get up. 

Eventually I gave in and decided to open my eyes, only to see Maggie and Lara still asleep. The sight itself pulled mt completely awake as a smile started to form on my face. I laid there in silence, watching two of the most important women in my life sleep. I tried to slowly sit up so I wouldn't wake them, but Lara started to stir and opened her eyes slowly. Guess i need to work on my ninja skills a little more. She looked up at my and smiles softly.

"Morning Harry." She said sleepily.

"Morning Lara." I leaned over and kissed her softly. She kissed back and the smile on her face spread. "Sleep well?"

"Mhmm." She nodded sleepily, snuggling Maggie closer to her. I chuckled softly and slowly climb out of bed. "Where are you going?" She asked quietly.

"Gonna make breakfast." I walked around the bed and leaned down to steal another kiss. She nodded sleepily as she laid back into the pillow. I smiled to myself as i left the room and went to go make breakfast. The smell of pancakes and bacon started to fill the apartment as i cooked. It wasn't long before Maggie and Lara walked into the living room. Maggie was rubbing her eyes as she walked. Another smile spread across my face as I watched them shuffle into the kitchen. "Morning sleepyheads." I grinned.

"Morning daddy." Maggine came over and hugged me. I leaned down and returned the hug before going back to flipping pancakes.

"Hey Hobbit, what's that over there?" Lara asked, point toward the bedroom.

"Hmmm?" Maggie asked sleepily as she turned to look where Lara was pointing. Lara took the chance to lean in and give me a good proper good morning kiss. She pulled away just as Maggie turned back around. "I didn't see anything."

"My bad, must still be asleep." Lara giggles as she winked at me, making my smile grow wider.

We are breakfast together at the table. Molly walked in the door just after we finished, wearing the same clothes she was wearing the night before. I looked up at her and smirked. She blushed brightly but quickly avoided any questions by running into her room. Lara glanced at the hallway Molly just disappeared into before turning toward me, her eyebrow raised in a silent question.

"Boyfriend." I answered.

"Ah...ahhhhh." She grinned as she glanced at the hallway then went to take her plate to the sink.

"You busy today?" I asked as we did the dishes.

"Sadly. I have a lot of work to do that I should have done last night." Lara looked up at me and smiled sadly.

"Want me to give you a ride home?" I asked, putting the last of the dishes away.

"No, someone decided to come get me so I wont run off again." She grinned. I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her waist as i smiled at her.

"Now what could possibly give them that idea?" I asked sarcastically. She laughed and reached up to wrap her arms around my neck.

"Oh I wonder. Maybe a certain good looking wizard that always seems to cause trouble." Lara grinned.

"I don't always cause trouble." I protested.

"Mhmm, sure you don't." She laughed as she leaned up and kissed me. I kissed back even with Maggie protesting in the background. I laughed as i broke the kiss and looked over at Maggie.

"Okay Hobbit, its time I take you back to Michael since daddy has work." Maggie frowned in protest.

"Can't I stay here? I promise I'll be good." She poked her bottom lip out and stared at me with her big brown eyes. I groaned quietly but managed to hold my ground against the cuteness onslaught.

"Sorry Hobbit, you have to. I'm working on a surprise for you." I winked at Lara and smiled at Maggie.

"A surprise? What is it?" Maggie shouted, suddenly interested. I laughed and shook my head.

"Sorry Hobbit, can't tell you. But I know you'll love it." I walked over and kissed the top of her head. "Come on, you need to get dressed." Maggie nodded and ran back into the bedroom. I turned to Lara and saw her smiling at me. 

"What could you be planning this time Harry Dresden." Lara said as she sauntered over to me.

"Oh, nothing big." I grinned as she got close enough to place her hands on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her waist again and smiled at her more.

"I don't believe you. If you plan something then it's usually big." She grinned mischievously.

"Well I am a big guy. Most plans involve me so they have to be pretty big." I chuckled.

"Oh I am WELL aware of that fact." She winked as she pulled me into a kiss, letting a soft groan of sanctification escape from her lips and into mine. I didn't want to pull away at all and I know it had nothing to do with her usual vampire powers. I would have much preferred to stay like that all day but, for once, my brain had more to say than the other head. I pulled away slowly, drawing a groan of irritation from Lara. "Sorry Lara, work, Maggie, wizard stuff." I apologized. She chuckled and smiled knowingly.

"I know, I know, we have to get what needs to be done, done before we can have fun again." She stole another kiss before untangling herself from me and walking back to the bedroom.

Stars and stones that woman can drive me wild.

I sat on the couch and waited for Lara and Maggie to come out before going to change myself. Lara left shortly after I finished changing, promising to get in touch later. I covered Maggie's eyes to give Lara one last kiss before letting her lave. Lara left with a smile and Maggie and I left shortly after. We pulled up to the Carpenters driveway just as Michael came out of his shed.

"Hey there Michael." I shouted out as Maggie and I climbed out of the truck. He looked up and waved us over.

:Hey there Harry." Michael smiled as we walked over. We traded grips as Maggie went inside. "How was your day yesterday?"

"It was perfect. We all went to the aquarium and just spent the day together. It felt like i had a real family." I explained, letting him lead me to the porch.

"That's great to hear. I'm glad to hear that Maggie has taken a liking to Lara. You seem to care deeply about her." He pointed out, leaning against one of the posts on the porch.

"I do." I said simply. "I had a talk with myself this morning and really figured things out." He looked at me in silence for a moment smiling.

"Good to hear that. Are you planning for the future?" He asked. A smile crept across my face and i nodded.

"Yes I am. I've even got a long term game plan." I leaned against the other post as I told him what I had in store. Michael stared intently at me as i explained every detail. Once I was done he reached over and placed a hand on my shoulder, a wide smile spread across his face.

"I'm sure both of them will love that plan Harry. Let me know if you need my help with anything." Michael offered.

"Oh I will, I'm sure I'm going to need your help with a lot of things in the future." I laughed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a phone call." I nodded as i stepped off the porch, pulling my phone out of my duster pocket, dialing the number that would change everything for me.

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The next several weeks passed by like a blur. Between trying to find and rebels of the sidhe courts, normal detective work, and making several phone calls, balancing time with Maggie and Lara each, the days just seemed to speed by. Lara and I spent as much time as we could, sometimes alone an sometimes surprising me by bringing Maggie with her. One the days she brought Maggie, the three of us went somewhere or stayed at the house, just enjoying each others company like a normal family does. When Lara came alone we either went out on a date or simply enjoyed each others...company.

As summer started to change to fall, I had a date for my big plan set. Hopefully everyone would go smoothly and both Lara and Maggie would be surprised. I messaged Lara to ask if she would be free that Friday so I could explain everything to her. It was about three in the afternoon so I wasn't really surprised when she didn't respond instantly. She usually tries to respond as fast as she could but running an empire can take up a lot of time. I did, however, start worrying when a day had passed with nothing from Lara. I tried not to be the kind of guy who would worry over his girlfriend when she doesn't respond after a day but being a paranoid wizard tends to make your brain function in really different ways. I grabbed my phone and gave Micheal a call.

"Carpenter residence, Charity speaking." Charity answered.

"Hey Charity, it's Harry. Has Lara given you guys a call to speak to Maggie?" I asked. Lara had told me she and Maggie have really started to click and she tries to call her every day.

"No she hasn't. I was actually going to call you in a bit and ask if everything is okay." Charity asked.

"I hope so. She hasn't called me or responded to my text. It's not like her to go so long without getting in touch." I explained as i grabbed my duster and keys. I walked out, locking the door behind we as i left.

"Maybe she has just been really busy?" Charity suggested.

"Possibly, but she would have at least let me know with a text." I countered as i walked into the lobby.

"Mr.Dresden!" The doorman called out as i walked past. I stopped in my tracks and quickly turned to face him. "A letter came for you sir." He walked over and handed me a small light brown envelope. I balanced the phone on my shoulder as i opened the letter. I pulled the single piece of paper inside out and stared at it. There were only three words on it but they hit me like a sledgehammer.

We have Lara.

I stared at the paper, several emotions running through me at once. Worry, fear, panic, rage, even pure blood lust, all rolled together. I almost didn't feel the little bit of weight that was in the envelope. I turned the contents of the envelope over and nearly shouted in rage.

Lara's silver ring fell into my palm.

"Harry? Are you still there?" I faintly heard Charity ask, still on the other line. I clenched the ring in my hand tightly, trying to calm myself down and hold my rage back. 

"I need you to get Michael. Somebody took Lara. And I'm going to get her back."


	16. Chapter 16

        I was furious. No, they would have to come up with a whole new word to describe how pissed I was. If I was in a cartoon steam would be coming out of my ears and my hair would be on fire.

                “Charity, do me a favor and tell Michael to meet me at Molly’s place. I’m going to need his help.” She said she would and hung up. I turned around and headed back into the apartment to get my equipment.

                Damn it, I was so fucking tired of things coming into my city and taking the people, I care about. It was time I sent a message.

                I grabbed my magical supplies out of my room and started preparing the tracking spell in the kitchen. About half an hour later, a knock at the door pulled me out of my focus. I flew over and opened the door to find Michael standing there. He looked at me and quietly stepped into the apartment.

                “Charity told me about Lara.” He said quietly as I shut the door behind him.

                “Then you know what needs to be done. Can you help me?” I asked, watching him walk through the living room. He turned and faced me, sorrow all over his face.

                “I can’t Harry. I felt like I owed it to you to say it to your face. After that mess in Hades vault with Nicodemus, my body doesn’t move like it used to.” He frowned at me and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

                I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell him for not helping me when I needed it the most. But I know that it wasn’t his fault. I know somewhere in my mind that if he was physically able to then he would help me. A few years back, a bullet took away a good portion of one legs mobility, even the adventure with Hades was only possible with an angels’ intervention. Even now he had to walk with the assistance of a cane. I stood there clenching my fist, forcing my anger to subside.

                “I knew that.” I sighed as I looked at him. “I knew you couldn’t help me. I just…” I sighed again. “…I just needed a friend. I can’t lose her. If I’m being honest, I’m scared Michael. What if something happens?” I stared at his face. He stared back at me, compassion and understanding in his eyes.

                “Then you fix it. And if you can’t you keep trying till you do.” He said plainly.  I stared at him, somewhat disbelieving. How could he be so rational that this is all going to turn out so well so easily?

                Because he has faith.

                I chuckled softly and shook my head.

                “One of these days I’m going to have to five that faith thing of yours a chance.” I laughed, and he grinned.

                “The doors are always open Harry. Now, what CAN I do to help?

 

 

                Michael and I stood around the table for over an hour. Looking over a map of the city as I tried to pinpoint Lara’s location using my magic. It might have been the work of whoever took Lara or maybe it was whatever spells were laid around the apartment that kept the lights on. Th bet we could do was narrow it down to an area a few blocks wide around downtown.  Michael and I kept working, bouncing ideas off each other when the door opened. Molly and Carlos came through the door, too wrapped around each other to notice us. Molly spun them around to shut the door and pulled her face off of Carlos’s enough to finally notice us.

                “Daddy!” Molly said, surprised.

                “Yes?” Carlos asked smugly.

                Oh, I was not going to let them live that down for a long, long time.

                Michael stood there, watching them as he slowly crossed his arms over his chest, clearing his throat to get their full attention. Carlos spun around, and I watched as the color drained out of his face.

                “Oh…daddy.” Carlos mumbled. Michael gave him the scariest look I have ever see in my life, and I’ve seen the literal king of the underworld glare at me.

                “Hey sweetie, I don’t think you’ve introduced me to your…friend.” He paused to stress the last word and focus his glare even more.

                Stars and stones, I’m glad things never happened between Molly and I. I probably would have cracked under that glare. Carlos gulped as he took a few steps toward Michael.

                “Hello sir, I’m Carlos Ramirez, regional commander of the Wardens and…” He paused to take a deep breath. “And I’m dating your daughter sir.” I watched as he tightened his jaw and extended his hand. I gotta give it to the kid, he has a pair. Michael stared him down, but Carlos didn’t falter. Sweat a little more maybe be he stood his ground. Michael smirked and gripped Carlos’s hand and shook it, obviously satisfied with the kids resolve.

                “Nice to meet you Carlos. I’m Michael.” Michael squeezed his hand and Carlos winced a bit. I did too honestly, Michael was a carpenter and I knew how strong the man’s grip was.

                “I’ve heard about you sir.” Carlos nodded as he shook the mans hand.

         “Not yet.” Michael said as he stared into Carlos eyes. I watched, a little surprised, as Michael instigated a Soul Gaze. They both froze in place as Molly gasped in surprise. Only a few seconds passed before they both pulled away. Molly and I watched in silence as they regained their grip on their reality again. Michael was the first to focus on his surroundings, before watching Carlos closely. Once Carlos snapped back to reality, Michael clasped a hand on the kids’ shoulder. “You’re a good man Carlos. But I just want you to know…” He pulled Carlos close and leaned in close to him, so Molly wouldn’t hear. “if you hurt my daughter, just remember Hell hath no fury.” Carlos blanched as he tuned to face Molly, giving her a reassuring smile.

        “Wouldn’t dream of it sir.” He said as Molly smiled back to him. Michael nodded as he let go of Carlos and stood back up straight.

        “Good, now if you two could be so kind. We have a situation and could use some help.” Michael said.

        “Yea we could use a few extra hands…daddy.” I smirked. All three of them turned to glare daggers at me at the exact same time. I winced at the force of the triple glare. “Okay, okay, I’ll shut up now.”

 

 

        Once the three of us wizards got to work on the tracking spell, things went smoother than I could have hoped. Having two other sets of eyes to help look at a problem makes things a hell of a lot easier. Molly managed to narrow down the area to only a block wide when Carlos pointed out that who or whatever took Lara, probably took her into Under Town. I groaned when he had brought that up. It was a fact that was in the back of my mind, but I had been secretly hoping that they had stayed street side.

        Under Town was basically a big unmapped maze of tunnels that formed as they kept buildings on top of other buildings that sunk into the ground. It was a very dangerous place, even before you added in the face that a lot of supernatural things liked to make their home down there. I’ve had to go into Under Town several times and never once liked going down there.

        “So, when do we head out boss?” Carlos asked as I gathered the materials I would need.

        “Soon. I just need to get my blasting rod and staff and we can go.” I explained as I went to my room. A couple of Lara’s things were still scattered around the room from the last time she had stayed. I froze as I looked at each thing in turn. A brush was on the night stand beside the bed, a pair of running shoes rested against one wall where they had been left, a pair of pants tossed into the corner from a very…heated visit that I still haven’t picked up yet. I looked at each one in turn as the memories played back in my head. I walked over and picked up the picture Lara had put on the night stand. It was the picture we had gotten at the aquarium that Lara had gotten framed. I don’t remember clenching my fist but I felt my nails biting into my palm.

        “I swear I’m going to get you back Lara.” I said to myself quietly before grabbing my staff and lasting rod and heading back into the living room. All eyes fell on me as I walked back in. I looked at each one of them in turn before exhaling a breath I did realize I was holding.

        “Okay here’s what the plan is. Molly, I’m going to need you beside me the whole way. You’re magic seems to be able to pinpoint Lara better than mine can.” She nodded as I turned to Carlos. “Carlos you’re going to be my backup. I don’t know what exactly we’re going up against but judging from how easy Molly can see through whatever spell they put up, it must be fairies. So that means I’m going to need a heavy hitter like you giving me a hand. We go in and hit those faire bastards hard.” I glanced at Molly who just smirked and shook her head. “Everybody understand the plan?”

        “Crystal clear.” Molly and Carlos said in unison.

        “Awesome. Come on guys, lets gear up and roll out.” I grinned as Molly and Carlos groaned.

        “Dios, now he’s quoting Transformers.” Carlos quickly straightened up and turned to face Michael. “sorry about he Dios thing. No offense. Michael just stared at him and chuckled.

        “It’s not me you should be worried about offending.” He smiled and nodded toward the ceiling. “Molly would you mind going to start the car? I need to talk to Harry and Carlos.” He tossed Molly the keys and she quickly left. Once she was gone, Michael lowered his gaze to Carlos. “Alright son I’m going to give you some friendly advice. That’s my little girl out there than you’re going into danger with. Now I don’t know you but if Harry trusts you then so do I. But since you’re the man she’s picked then I’m holding you responsible for her safety. I’m a man of God first but I’m a father a very close second. So if anything happens to her I’m going to teach you what the phrase ‘putting the fear of God into someone.’ Understand?” Michael stared at the kid the entire speak. Carlos let out an audible gulp before nodding.

        “Completely sit.” I swear nothing is going to get to her while I’m there.” He stared back at Michael, nothing but confidence and determination in his eyes. Michael smiled and nodded before clasping his hand on Carlos’s shoulder.

        “you’re a good man Carlos. Now get out there and go get them.” Michael smiled. Carlos returned the smile with his usual cocky grin before nodding and heading out the door. I walked and stood beside Michael, watching the door shut behind Carlos in silence.

        “Remind me to get pointers from you on how to scare my daughter’s boyfriends. If I start now, maybe ill be half as good as you when the time comes.” Michael let out a loud laugh and smiled at me.

        “I’ll be sure to give you a few tips. You and Lara once you both get back.’ Michael grinned at me. I returned his grin with my own.

        “Thanks Michael, you’re a good friend.” I slapped his shoulder.

        “Don’t mention it.” He slapped my shoulder back. “Now get out there and go save Lara” I nodded as I headed out. “And Godspeed Harry.” I tossed him a thumbs up as I went


End file.
